UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
AT LOS ANGELES
EXPLORATORY VISIT
TO EACH OF THE
AND TO THE
IN BEHALF OF THE
ftti$$ionavi>
IN THE YEARS 1844, 1845, 1846.
BY THE
REV. GEORGE SMITH, M.A.,
OF MAGDALEN HALL, OXFORD,
AND LATE MISSIONARY IN CHINA.
SECOND EDITION.
LONDON:
SEELEY, BURNSIDE, & SEELEY, FLEET STREET:
HATCHARD & SON, PICCADILLY;
J. NISBET AND CO., BERNERS STREET.
MDCCCXLVIT.
LONDON :
\V. WAT IS, PRIXTEK, CKOWS COURT, TKMI'LE BAH.
./*. : ! : *'.'..'.,
109
AUTHOR'S PREFACE
CO
TO THE FIRST EDITION.
ex:
PQ
rn
"* .I HE Author of the following pages deems it right,
at the very outset, to state, that this Volume is not
a mere narrative of Missionary proceedings. The
primary object of his tour among the newly-opened
"~ cities of China was to explore the ground, and to
~* prepare the way for other Missionaries of the Church
Q _
^ of England, by collecting statistical facts, by record-
ing general observations, and by furnishing detailed
data for rightly estimating the moral, social, and
Apolitical condition of that peculiar nation. The
Dreader must therefore be prepared to find in this
^Volume a variety of topics handled, and of informa-
mtion supplied, which might appear less appropriate
^in a book professedly devoted to a strict narrative of
Missionary work. The Author has felt that nothing,
which can afford an insight into the institutions and
character of the Chinese, however remotely affecting
the Missionary work, can be inopportune or unim-
11 PREFACE.
portant in directing the mind to a proper selection of
means for the extension of the Redeemer's kingdom.
The following are extracts from the Instructions
delivered, by the Church Missionary Society, to the
Author and the fellow-labourer by whom he was ac-
companied in the voyage from England, and in the
earlier part of his residence in China :
" Your Mission must necessarily be, in the first
"instance, exploratory. And in such a work the
" Committee must rather rely upon your own judg-
" ment and prudence, than upon any Instructions
" with which they can furnish you."
* "After availing yourselves of every in-
" formation which can be obtained at Hong Kong,
" from these and other sources, it is the wish of the
" Committee that you should visit each of the five
" open ports of China, at such time and in such man-
" ner as may be most likely to further your objects,
" in order that you may be able, after full investi-
" gation of the relative importance and facilities, in
" respect of Missionary operations, of each accessible
" point, to furnish the Committee with sufficient data
" for determining in what spot, and in what mode, a
" Mission of this Society may be best commenced.
" The Committee invite you also freely to communi-
f( cate to them your own judgment, and the sug-
" gestions which you may feel inclined to offer to
" them. But until you hear from them in reply, you
PREFACE. Ill
" must consider your measures as merely of a prepa-
" rative and temporary kind."
The Church Missionary Society had formerly sent
an agent to Singapore and to Macao the Rev. E. B.
Squire, the present vicar of Swansea. On the break-
ing out of the war he was compelled, by the delicate
state of Mrs. Squire's health, to embark for Europe.
When the intelligence arrived in England of the
treaty of Nanking, and the opening of China to Mis-
sionary efforts, many urgent solicitations were ad-
dressed to the Committee to resume their attempt of
establishing a Mission in China. They were for a
time reluctantly compelled to decline the call through
want of funds. At this juncture, an anonymous donor,
who wished to be known only under the signature of
'EXa;;<rrorgg>o, " less than the least," gave the large
donation of 6000 consols to the Society for the
special object of commencing a Mission in China.
The donation was accepted on this condition : and in
the beginning of June 1844 the Rev. T. M'Clatchie,
B.A., and the Author, embarked for China. Mr.
M'Clatchie is now the only Missionary of the Society
in China, and has already commenced preaching to
the Chinese in the city of Shanghai.
The Author, in conclusion, expresses his earnest
hope and prayer, that this narrative of his explora-
tory tour in China may be accepted by the Great
Husbandman of the Missionary vineyard, and be made
A 2
IV PREFACE.
instrumental in exciting other labourers to enter on
this promising field of Missionary enterprise, from
which he himself has been, in the providence of God,
removed by the failure of health.
GEORGE SMITH.
CHURCH MISSIONARY HOUSE,
Salisbury Square, London,
April 5th, 1847.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
DEPARTURE FROM HONG KONG TO CANTON.
OBJECTS of Visit to Canton Voyage in Chinese Vessel Na-
tive Crew Whampoa Canton River Landing at Foreign
Factories State of Public Feeling towards Foreigners
Chinese Teacher, Choo Budhist Priest's Visit Leang Afa, 1
CHAPTER II.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE CITY OF CANTON.
Early History and Civilization Ancient Commercial Cele-
brity Early Mahomedan Accounts Extended Intercourse
with Europeans in the Sixteenth Century Troubles on
Tartar Conquest of China Topography of City Division
and Mutual Checks of Government Difficulty of Fo-
reigners entering the City Proper Crowded Population
Narrow Streets Shops River Population Blind Beg-
gars Medical Missionary Hospital Its Moral Influence
The Patients A Poor Scholar Surgical Operations
The Parsees - 13
CHAPTER III.
FURTHER ACCOUNT OF CANTON.
Visit to Honan Monastery Numerous Temples, Monks, and
Nuns in Canton Universal Idolatry Visit of some Petty
Mandarins, and Priest's Alarm Religious Services In-
CONTENTS.
terview with a High Chinese Military Officer Pending
Examinations for Keu-jin Literary Degree General Ex-
citement and Thirst for Literary Distinction Retarding
Influence on National Improvement Notification of Suc-
cessful Candidates Public Honours Visit of Tang-shin,
a Literary Chinese - 31
CHAPTER IV.
EXCURSIONS INTO THE SUBURBS OF CANTON.
The Beggars' Square Excursion into Rural Hamlets of
Honan Visit from Leang Afa's Son, A-tuh Excursion
with a Native Preacher on the Banks of the River A
Native Book Composed and Distributed to Discourage
Female Infanticide Chinese Illuminations and Street-
Theatricals - 48
CHAPTER V.
REMOVAL TO MACAO, AND RETURN TO HONG KONG.
Voyage to Macao Description of the Place Its Former
Importance and Present Decay Origin of the Settlement
Its Peculiarity as a Missionary Station Popish Into-
lerance Morrison and Milne Voyage to Hong Kong
Detention at Hong Kong Missionaiy Excursions Vil-
lages of Hong Kong Villages on the Mainland of China
Agong, a Native Preacher Ordinance of the British
Government against Secret Societies Political Origin of
the "Triad Society" Chinese Population of Hong Kong
Case of A-quei A Native Juggler - - 66
CHAPTER VI.
UNSUCCESSFUL VOYAGE ALONG THE EASTERN COAST, AND
SECOND VISIT TO CANTON.
Chinese Assault on Three British Gentlemen at Canton
Remonstrance of British Plenipotentiary Rumoured Dis-
CONTENTS.
turbances at Amoy Opportunity of a Passage in a War-
steamer sent thither General Character of the Coast
Successive Points of Shore Accident, arid Compulsory
Return under sail to Hong Kong Voyage to Canton
Recent Imperial Edict of Toleration in Favour of Chris-
tianity - . - : - - 85
CHAPTER VII.
REAL EXTENT OF MISSIONARY OPENINGS AT CANTON.
Projected Missionary Services at the " Ningpo Exchange "
Alarm of the Superintending Officers Friendliness of the
Better Classes Defective Courage of Native Preachers
Riotous Interruption of a Religious Service by a Chinese
Mob Distribution of Tracts Invitation by a Petty Man-
darin to accompany him into the City His subsequent
Fright at the proposal being acceded to Ineffectual At-
tempts to enter the City -gate - 95
CHAPTER VIII.
FURTHER INCIDENTS AT CANTON.
Visit to Yun-tang, a Chinese Gentleman Interest of Chinese
in the Arts, Inventions, and Astronomy of the West Curi-
osity of a Priest Native Treatise on Astronomy Chinese
Ingenuity, and Ignorance of Physical Sciences Execution-
Ground " Temple of Longevity" Powtinqua's Gardens
Howqua's Suburban Dwelling Neglected Education of
Females in China Annual Procession in honour of the
Idol Shing-Kea General Review of Missionary Facilities
at Canton - 108
CHAPTER IX.
DEPARTURE FOR SHANGHAI.
Arrival of Bishop Boone at Hong Kong Recent Acts of the
Triennial Convention of the American Protestant Episcopal
CONTENTS.
Church Embarkation for Shanghai Fellow-Passengers
Skill of Chinese Fishermen Decoy-fish Gale in For-
mosa Channel Chusan Group Entrance of River Yang-
tze-keang Services on Board Entrance of Woosung
River Chinese Forts and Battery British Opium Vessels
Landing at Village of Woosung Journey overland in
Chairs Arrival at Shanghai - - - 124
CHAPTER X.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF SHANGHAI.
First Impressions Topography of City General Features
of surrounding Country Climate Natural Productions
Character of People Estimated Population Commer-
cial Importance and Connexion with the Interior Native
Exports European Trade Local Authorities Capture of
City by British Troops Outport to Soo-chow Growing
Liberality of the Mandarins Roman-Catholic Settlement
General View of Shanghai as a Missionary Station
Tabular View of average Temperature for one Year - - 136
CHAPTER XL
INCIDENTS AT SHANGHAI.
A Roman-Catholic Ruin Missionary Excursion into the
Interior Roman-Catholic Villagers Preaching in Hea-
then Temples Visit to Northern Parts of the City Tri-
umphal Arch to a Christian Mandarin The " Ching Wang
Meaou" Newly-canonized Hero-warrior Caricature-
Shops Missionary Services Trip round the City Walls
Visit to a Corean Vessel Romish Church in Corea
The "Hall of United Benevolence" "Foundling Hos-
pital" The " Hall of the Lord of Heaven "Visit from a
Corean Sailor Popish Mariolatry - - 143
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XII.
ARRIVAL AT NINGPO.
Voyage to Ningpo Descent of the Yang-tze-keang Bay of
Chapoo Chinese Pilot City of Chin-hai Ascent of
River and Arrival at Ningpo Renewed Civility of Cus-
tom-house Officers Proposed Lodging in a Taouist Mo-
nastery Renting a Chinese House, and attendant For-
malities Access to the Family of a Chinese Patriarch
Absurd Principles of Native Medicine Facts illustrative
of Chinese Ideas on Marriage Situation of House The
Tower of Ningpo Visit to a Mahomedan Mosque Re-
turn-Visit of a Mahomedan Priest A Roman-Catholic
Patient - - 161
CHAPTER XIII.
EXCURSION INTO THE INTERIOR.
Personal Adventures on the Journey Rural Scenery Arri-
val at the Budhist Monastery of Teen-tung Visit to the
Abbot Library Religious Hopes of Budhism Neigh-
bouring Villages and Out-temples Budhist Rosary A
Village Schoolmaster Return to Ningpo The "Ching-
wang-meaou" Temples in honour of Confucius Visits
to a Siamese Vessel - - . . 179
CHAPTER XIV.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF NINGPO.
Topography Local Magistrates System of Provincial Go-
vernment Disgrace and Ruin of Former Mandarins
Effects of the British War on Rulers and People At-
tempt of the Chinese to recapture the City Literary
Reputation of Ningpo Privileges of Scholars Native
Products and Employments of Inhabitants Former Splen-
dour of the place Facilities as a Missionary Station
Climate Moral Condition of People Recapitulation - - 191
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XV.
VISIT TO THE ISLAND OF CHUSAN, AND FURTHER INCI-
DENTS AT NINGPO.
Visit to the Island of Chusan City of Ting-hai Interview
with a Romish Padre Similarity between Popish and
Budhistic Ceremonies Traditionary Origin of Bonzes
Return to Ningpo Annual Offerings to Departed Spirits
Temporary Abode in a Taouist Monastery Taouist Lay-
brother Female Worshippers Taouist Abbot and Priests
Chinese Garden and Artificial Grounds Visit to a Na-
tive Doctor Mahomedan Shopkeeper Application of
Opium-smokers for Medicine Visit to a Budhist Nunnery
A Native Pawnbroker Visit to His Excellency the
Taou-tai Ceremony of Reception A Chinese Entertain-
ment Topics of Conversation Visit to the deposed Taou-
tai His Public Integrity and Misfortunes - - 202
CHAPTER XVI.
SECOND EXCURSION TO TEEN-TUNG.
Animated Appearance of Country Ancestral Temples
Contributions to a Bag for Idols Chinese Agriculture
Gratuitous Travellers' Rest Dragon-boats Budhist
Vigils in Monastery Exploratory Visit to Distant Villages
Illiterate Priests Inquiring Spirit of a Tea-farmer
Friendliness of the Abbot Hospitality of the Villagers
Grace to an Idol Process of consulting the Idols Ascent
of the "Tae pih san" Ridge Entertainment by a Chinese
Gentleman Return to Ningpo - 225
CHAPTER XVII.
CONCLUDING OCCURRENCES AT NINGPO, AND DEPARTURE
FOR CHUSAN.
Roman Catholics in Ningpo Chinese Military Archery-
Ebullition of Popular Odium against the New "Che-heen"
CONTENTS.
Effect of Reading the New Testament on a Native Mer-
chant Rebellion of Fung-kwa Repulse of Troops Final
Compromise A Class of Hereditary Bondsmen Religious
Service Review of actual Missionary Labours at Ningpo
Arrival at Chusan The Visit and Reception of the
French Embassy Christian Services among British Troops
in a Budhist Temple ..... 243
CHAPTER XVIII.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF CHUSAN.
Topography Character of Population Natural Productions
Events of first Capture by British Excesses of Troops
Native Pillagers Menacing Edicts of Chinese Govern-
ment Chinese Kidnappers Sufferings of British Soldiers
Armistice and Cession of Chusan Insincerity of Chinese
Government Re-capture of Chusan Rapid Successes of
British Expedition along the Coast Treaty of Nanking
and Retention of Chusan Mingled Influence of British
Occupation British Administration of Police Foreign
Trade Missionary Prospects Popular Feeling on re-
verting to their own Native Government - - 258
CHAPTER XIX.
SECOND VISIT TO SHANGHAI.
Voyage to Shanghai Comparative View of the two Missio-
nary Stations of Shanghai and Ningpo A New Sect of
Moralists in the Interior of China An Original Work on
Geography, by Commissioner Lin Chinese Schoolmaster
and Scholars A Chinese Graduate's Reverence of the
Written Character A Convict suffering by Deputy
Military Reviews Offensive Epithets to Foreigners Pro-
cession of the Taou-tai Recent Supplement to the Edict of
Toleration Voyage to Chusan - - 280
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XX.
VISIT TO THE SACRED ISLAND OF POOTOO.
Voyage to Pootoo Various Localities of the Island The
" Pah-kwa "The " Seen-sze "The " How-sze "Roman-
tic Scenery Hospitality of the Abbot Priest importuning
for Gifts to the Idols Collegiate System of Succession to
Temple-benefices The " Ying-sew " Palpable Decay of
Budhism Funeral of a Priest Avarice and Ignorance of
Monks Questions of People Visit to the Summit of
" Fuh ting shan" A newly-arrived Votary General Re-
view of Pootoo, and its Influence in the Diffusion of
Budhism - 299
CHAPTER XXI.
DEPARTURE FROM CHUSAN TO FOO-CHOW FOO.
Concluding Occurrences at Chusan Political Fears of the
Chinese Excursion across .the Island Cases illustrative
of the Advantage of Medical Missionary Efforts Voyage
to Foo-chow Roman-Catholic Pilots Mouth of the River
Min Picturesque Scenery Approach to the City - - 317
CHAPTER XXII.
DAILY OCCURRENCES AT FOO-CHOW.
Novel Appearance of River-population The Bridge of Foo-
Chow Vivid Scenes of a Chinese Suburb British Con-
sulate View of the City from the Summit of the " Woo-
shih shan" State of Relations between the British Consul
and the Local Mandarins Punishment of some Tartars for
Assault An Excursion around the City-walls - 327
CHAPTER XXIII.
FURTHER INCIDENTS AT FOO-CHOW.
Excursions up the River and into the remote parts of the
City Visit to the District of the Manchow Tartars?
CONTENTS.
Anxiety of Police to prevent a Disturbance Gradual
Friendliness of the Tartar Soldiery The " Hot-baths "
Present Position of the Tartars throughout the Empire
The Contingency of a General Revolution in China consi-
dered Latitudinarianism of Taouist and Budhist Priests
Roman Catholics Mahomedans Detailed Occur-
rences of the New-Moon Festival Culprits wearing the
Wooden Collar Wretched Class of Beggars Suburb of
Nantai Fishing Cormorants Case of Superstition and
Priestcraft - - 343
CHAPTER XXIV.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF FOO-CHOW.
Topography Local Trade Opium-drain of Specie Native
Im ports and Exports Monetary System Prospects in
reference to a European Trade Character of People
Neighbouring Country Number of Resident Graduates,
and General System of Literary Promotion Disposition of
Local Mandarins Prevalent Feeling towards Foreigners
Missionary Aspect - . - 360
CHAPTER XXV.
DEPARTURE TO AMOY.
Voyage to Amoy Description of the Harbour Capture of
Amoy, and Occupation of Koo-lang-soo by the British
Circumstances attending the first Arrival of Protestant
Missionaries at Amoy The Island of Koo-lang-soo Suf-
ferings of the People from War and Pestilence Idolatrous
Rites for averting their Calamity European Graves
The Missionaries' Burial-place - - 376
CHAPTER XXVI.
DAILY OCCURRENCES AT AMOY.
Interview with the "Hai-hong" Large Collection of An-
cestral Tablets Idol-shops Friendliness of People Mis-
sionary Services Regular Attendants Service for Chinese
Females - - - - 388
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XXVII.
NEW-YEAR FESTIVITIES.
Customary Observances of the New Year Moral Tracts by
Native Scholars Antithetical Sentences over the Entrance
of Houses Busy Adjustment of Pecuniary Matters An-
nual Custom of " Surrounding the Furnace" A Family
Scene Superstitious Mode of prognosticating the Seasons
of the coming Year New -Year Visits to some Chinese
Friends Ta laou-yay Lim-pai Lim seen-sang Tan
seen-sang Universal Prevalence of Gambling A Missio-
nary Service - 401
CHAPTER XXVIII.
NEW-YEAR VISITS OF CEREMONY TO THE HIGH
MANDARINS OF AMOY.
A Chinese Bride Visit to the Te-tok, or Chinese Admiral
His Adroitness in escaping the British War His recent
Disgrace The Cham-hoo, or Military Commandant His
Discussion with the Missionaries, and Defence of Idolatry
The Taou-tai, or Prefect, a Manchow Tartar The Hai-
quan, or Inspector of Customs, a Manchow The Hai-hong,
or Lord Mayor A Budhist Nunnery The Privileged In-
corporation of Beggars - 418
CHAPTER XXIX.
FACTS ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE PREVALENCE AND EFFECTS
OF OPIUM-SMOKING.
Visit to Opium-Dens Confessions of Opium-Smokers
Moral and Physical Effects of Opium Local System of
Smuggling, and Mode of Retail Detailed Testimony of
ten consecutive cases of Opium-Smokers, taken from their
own lips - 431
CHAPTER XXX.
FACTS ILLUSTRATIVE OF FEMALE INFANTICIDE.
Trip to surrounding Villages Testimony of Villagers as to
the Prevalence and the Motives of Infanticide Village
CONTENTS.
Clanships Ancestral Temple Village School-house -
Confessions of Infanticide Parents Modes of Death com-
monly practised Hospitality of a Medical Patient Case
of Attempted Infanticide Degradation of the Female Sex, 443
CHAPTER XXXI.
DAILY INCIDENTS AT AMOY, CONTINUED.
Chinese Missionary Meeting Celebration of the Feast of
Lanterns A Giant Specimen of Pyrotechnic Skill Cessa-
tion of Holidays, and General Resumption of Business
The Question of the Ancestral Tablet discussed Chinese
Bible-Class Topics of Missionary Sermons Original
Illustrations of Chinese Hearers Indirect Persecution of a
Religious Inquirer - - 454
CHAPTER XXXII.
MANDARINS' ENTERTAINMENT TO THE MISSIONARIES.
Revised Translation of the Holy Scriptures Proceedings at
a Meeting of the Local Translation Committee Special
Entertainment to the Missionary Body, given jointly by
the Five High Mandarins of Amoy Previous Invitation
and Arrangements Ceremonies of Entrance and Recep-
tion ^Etiquette of Precedence Details of Feast Topics
of Conversation Ceremonies of Departure The secret
Motives which prompted these Attentions - 470
CHAPTER XXXIII.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF AMOY.
Early Intercourse with Europe Commercial Enterprise of
the People Chinese Emigrants Topography of the City
and Island The " White Stag Hill" Boundary Regula-
lations A Roman-Catholic Village Another Explanatory
Edict of Religious Toleration Attempts at Concealment
by the JMandarins Local Prizes for Literary Merit
Local Dialect Moral Degradation of the People Missio-
nary Aspect of Amoy - , 480
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
DEPARTURE FROM AMOY, AND THIRD VISIT TO CANTON.
Incidents of last Sabbath at Amoy Farewell Attentions of
Chinese Friends Voyage to Hong Kong Visit to Canton
Comparative Review of Missionary Openings at Canton
and in the Northern Ports of China Recent Riots at
Canton Difficulties of Ke-Ying Present Dangers of
China An Apology for the Chinese Government in their
Exclusion of Opium The Duty of the Christian Legisla-
tors of Britain - 492
CHAPTER XXXV.
GENERAL VIEW OF HONG KONG.
First Occupation of Hong Kong Gradual Influx of Settlers
Topography of the Island General Reflections on the
Influence and Prospects of Britain in the East Ineligi-
bility of Hong Kong as a Centre of Missionary Operations
Climate Moral and Social Character of the Chinese
Population Diversity of Dialects European Influences - 503
CHAPTER XXXVI.
GENERAL VIEW OF HONG KONG CONTINUED.
Actual Missionary Labours Morrison Education Society
Medical Missionary Hospital Roman-Catholic Mission at
Hong Kong Statement of Views respecting the Educa-
tion of a Native-Christian Agency Printing Establish-
ments Superior Missionary Facilities in the Four Northern
Ports General Views of the Missionary Work in China
Qualifications needed in Missionary Labourers Appeal
to the Christian Parents and Youth of Britain Concluding
Observations List of Protestant Missionaries in China - 515
DIRECTIONS TO THE BINDER.
VIEW OF VICTORIA, HONG KONG, FROM THE OPPOSITE
MAINLAND - Frontispiece
MAP OF CHINA - - To face p. 1
VIEW OF MACAO - ... 67
ANNUAL WORSHIPPING AT TOMBS ... 119
RELIGIOUS PROCESSION OF CHINESE LADIES - ... 169
OFFERINGS OF BOAT PEOPLE AT A TEMPLE
NEAR NINGPO . . . 226
DRAGON BOATS - ... 228
CHINESE SCHOOL - ... 290
SUPERSTITIOUS RITES IN A TAOUIST TEMPLE - ... 359
PREPARATIONS FOR THE NEW YEAR . . . 405
CHINESE GAMBLERS . . . 415
A NEWLY-MADE GRADUATE ADORING THE AN-
CESTRAL TABLET ON HIS PROMOTION - ... 464
VIEW OF HONG KONG HARBOUR FROM EAST
POINT 503
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CHAPTER I.
DEPARTURE FROM HONG KONG TO CANTON.
OBJECTS OF VISIT TO CANTON VOYAGE IN CHINESE VESSEL
NATIVE CREW WHAMPOA CANTON RIVER LANDING AT
FOREIGN FACTORIES STATE OF PUBLIC FEELING TOWARDS
FOREIGNERS CHINESE TEACHER, CHOO BUDHIST PRIEST'S
VISIT LEANG AFA.
ON Wednesday evening, Oct. 2, 1844, a week after
our coming to anchor in the spacious harbour of
Hong Kong, the Rev. T. M'Clatchie and myself em-
barked on board a native fast-boat, which we had
hired to convey us to Canton. The immediate object
of our going thither was to procure a native teacher
of the Mandarin, or Court dialect, and, at the same
time, to endeavour to ascertain the precise nature of
local facilities for Missionary enterprise, by personal
survey and a temporary residence in that city. We
had also grounds for indulging the hope, that a Native
Budhist Priest, late Abbot of a neighbouring temple,
and a man of superior learning, might be induced to
become our teacher, and to permit us to rent apart-
ments in the temple, where we should have very desi-
rable opportunities of facilitating our acquaintance
with the colloquial medium, by mixing and conversing
2 VOYAGE TO CANTON.
with the numerous resident Priests, many of whom
speak the Court dialect.
Weighing anchor at about seven P. M., we sailed be-
fore a fresh breeze from the north-east, which carried
us along at about six knots an hour. We were soon
beyond the numerous shipping, and passed out of the
harbour to the north-west ; the numerous lights which
marked the streets and buildings of the new town of
Victoria growing more and more faint, and at last
vanishing altogether from our view. Sailing through
the Cap-singmun channel, which separates the lofty
ridge of the Lantao island, at the distance of about
a mile, from the rocky elevation of the opposite main-
land of China, we proceeded northward through the
eastern part of the spacious Delta of the Shoo-Keang
or Pearl River. Our novel position, amid a crew of
about twelve Chinese the fact of our being alone
among heathen people the reflection of the ho-
nourable, yet responsible office we sustained as
Missionary heralds from the Church of England to
these dark regions of superstition the important
objects of our mission to China and the painful evi-
dences which we were, from time to time, called to
witness of the influence of idolatry over the minds of
those on board, performing their idle, unmeaning
religious offerings awakened in our minds thoughts
of pensive melancholy, mingled, however, with joy in
the prospect of the Missionary work, which we had
only partially realized in former times. Our boat
had two large mat-sails, which were managed with
great skill, being raised and lowered by moveable
ropes ; so that in a few moments we were at any time
able to alter our tack, or to reef, in order to avoid the
CHINESE SCENERY. 3
sudden gusts of wind. The sailors lay on the deck
in different parts of the vessel. The central part of
the boat was formed into a cabin, with Venetians at
the side, forming a kind of poop above, on which one
of the crew kept watch. In this cabin we laid our-
selves down ; and, though sleeping in our clothes, we
succeeded in obtaining a good night's rest. At day-
light we found ourselves within the Bogue, or Bocca
Tigris, the entrance to the river, and within a few
miles of Whampoa. About noon we found our little
vessel gliding through the numerous fleet of ships
from all nations, which occupied the whole extent
of the river, called Whampoa Reach. The wind be-
coming moderate, and at last dying away altogether,
our progress thence to Canton was very slow, and,
at times, almost imperceptible. The country around
was very beautiful, though, in many parts, presenting
a rather monotonous appearance of paddy-fields, plan-
tain-trees, orange-groves, bamboo-fences, and a few
gardens. The hills were cultivated in terraces along
their sides to the very top, assuming, in some parts,
a rocky, precipitous appearance. Numerous pagodas
and native houses, of fantastic architecture, gave a
variety to the scenery ; while, as we approached
nearer to the provincial city, the old half-dilapidated
forts, which lined the river on either side as it became
narrower, told of the impoverished exchequer of the
executive government. The increased number of
houses, the multitudes of native boats, and the density
of the smoky atmosphere, indicated our proximity
to Canton. The strange scenes of a Chinese city
soon presented themselves in all their vivid and
novel force. *We rowed slowly along the centre of
4 APPROACH TO CANTON.
the river, which is here about three or four furlongs
wide, through the thousands of strange vessels of
every shape, colour, and size, which, from every
nation of the East, are attracted by the gains of com-
merce to this emporium of the Middle Kingdom.
The beating of gongs, the frequent burning of gilt
paper, the noisy discharge of fireworks and crackers,
and the animated looks of curiosity with which the
motley tribes of the river-population regarded our
appearance, tended to enliven the scene. Beyond the
river, with its crowded myriads of naturalized tenants,
one continued mass of buildings, of nearly one uniform
appearance, lay before us. Here and there some
pagoda or mosque, or, again, the abode of some more
opulent citizen, varied the monotony of aspect. The
British flag, floating above the consular residence on
our right, soon reminded us that, even at this distant
quarter of the world, the power of our native land
was felt and respected. Soon after, we came in sight of
the foreign factories, towards which we made our
course ; and, amid the noisy clamours of boatmen and
boat- worn en, and the closely-packed range of boats
which blocked up the shore, with difficulty, and after
much delay and confusion, we landed, and within a few
minutes received the kind Christian welcome of an
excellent American Missionary, Dr. Parker, who of-
fered us a temporary home. The expense and
inconvenience of hiring a house and servants, and
the uncertainty of our stay, decided us in accepting
his kindly-proffered hospitality ; and in a few hours
our two beds were placed at one end of our room,
and tables ranged for our teachers at the other end.
The period of our arrival in Canton was one of
POPULAR EXCITEMENT. 5
unusual popular excitement. The spirit of hostility
towards foreigners, engendered by two centuries of
unequal intercourse, frequently fanned into arrogant
fury by the calumniatory edicts of the rulers, and,
alas! too frequently inflamed by the moral impro-
prieties and insolent demeanour of foreigners them-
selves, had been for a time overawed by the events of
the late war with the British. The withdrawal of the
British troops from the heights of Canton, and their
purchased immunity from the sanguinary horrors of a
bombardment, had been ascribed, by popular igno-
rance, to fear and cowardice. Of this misapprehen-
sion the Mandarins showed no desire to disabuse
the popular mind, and to lower the majesty of Chi-
nese power. Natives of candour and education could
not but feel the undoubted evidence of national humi-
liation, in their knowledge of the events of the war
in the more northern parts of China, and the perio-
dical payment of the ransom, however speciously
disguised under the professed object of " tranquillizing
the barbarians." But a strange infatuation seemed
to possess the minds of the Canton populace ; and
they ascribed it to the corrupt venality and cowar-
dice of the Mandarins alone that the whole British
armament in the neighbourhood had not been de-
stroyed. They even cherished the confident expec-
tation and eager determination, that, in the next war,
the barbarians should not escape so easily. The
injuries sustained in the western portion of the
suburbs from the British ships of war anchored in
the river, and the large number of idle, reckless vaga-
bonds who now infested the neighbourhood, without
any visible means of livelihood but roguery and
6 HATRED OF FOREIGNERS.
plunder, tended to perpetuate the vindictive hatred of
the mob. Every object which reminded them of
their humiliation, or awakened their jealousy, was the
occasion of a new ebullition of popular wrath. Of
this kind was the contemplated rebuilding of the
English factories, which had some months before been
maliciously destroyed by supposed incendiaries. The
Americans, though apparently enjoying more of favour
in the eyes of the native authorities than the violent
and formidable British, were, nevertheless, equally the
object of popular scorn ; the more especially so on
account of a recent affray, in which an American had
shot a Chinese, by whom he was assaulted in a tumult.
An arrow, which served as a weather-vane on the top
of the flag-staff of the American Consulate, had been
deemed, by vulgar prejudice, to be the ill-omened
cause of some recent local calamities ; and, as such,
was the occasion of the assemblage of an infuriated
mob in front of the factories, determined to destroy
the hateful and pernicious emblem of supposed de-
structiveness. At the private request of some of the
native authorities, the Americans had withdrawn this
subject of popular tumult. Still the flame of hostility
could not be extinguished, though temporarily allayed.
Numerous placards were posted on the public walls,
threatening the native contractors and workmen with
certain death if they did not immediately desist
from rebuilding the factories. On this account the
works had been discontinued, and an outbreak was
daily expected.
Ke-Ying, the pacific, liberal, and enlightened
Governor of the two Kwang Provinces, at this junc-
ture had issued a public edict against these disturbers
CHINESE PLACARDS. 7
of the peace, and the movement was, for the present,
checked. Various public addresses, from time to
time, were also sent forth, professing to be the ex-
hortation of the "gentry and scholars" of a particular
locality, abounding with sundry arguments inculcating
the duty of subordination and obedience to the pater-
nal rule of their superiors, and containing some
partial invectives against the malicious outrages of
the barbarians. Such a season was not the most
favourable for estimating the pacific disposition of the
natives towards those who imported the commerce,
the science, or the religion of the West into the
furthest extremities of the East.
During our six weeks' residence at Canton there
was happily no interruption to the public tranquillity ;
and we had the happiness to find, that the indications
of popular antipathy were generally confined to the
lowest classes and the dregs of the populace, in every
community the more numerous, though the less influ-
ential portion of society. It will afterwards be seen
how far the inconveniences and danger of such a state
of the popular mind were realized in our own expe-
rience and knowledge. The first two or three days
were spent in visiting the various places of resort and
objects of curiosity, calculated to impress the mind of
a stranger with the manners, the character, the
genius, the arts, the degree of civilization, the moral,
social, and religious condition of the remarkable peo-
ple, so long debarred, by an exclusive policy, from
the genial influences of Christendom.
Our time, however, was precious ; and we felt that
it was not in the capacity of scientific travellers,
seeking to enrich the stores of secular knowledge, or
8 NATIVE TEACHERS.
merely to enlarge the bounds of our acquaintance with
the national peculiarities of this heathen land, that
we had been brought to these dark regions of super-
stition and idolatry.
Accordingly, within two or three days after our
arrival, Choo, an aged native, and for thirty years
teacher successively to the late Rev. Dr. Morrison and
his lamented son, was engaged to come to our abode,
and was duly installed in his office as our teacher.
He speaks with much affection of both, especially of
Mr. R. J. Morrison, who would have provided him
with the means of support during his declining years,
had his life been spared. He came in great poverty
to our host, saying, that, within two months after Mr.
Morrison's death, he had been dismissed from the
employ of Government at Hong Kong, and had been
in great distress and penury. He had nine mouths
in his family, and begged the assistance of our friend.
Though only fifty-five years of age, he has a much
older appearance, from the debilitating, emaciating
influence of opium- smoking, to which he confesses he
has, in past times, been addicted, but makes profes-
sions of reformation ; an assertion of which we had
frequent reasons for doubting the truth. We en-
gaged his services, and found his matured experience
a fair counterbalance to his visible decay of energy.
The Budhist Priest, to whom a reference has been
made, waited upon us, with all the formality of Chi-
nese etiquette, from the temple on the opposite side
of the river, named Hae-Chwang-sze, but better
known as " the Honan joss-house." He discouraged
the project of our taking lodgings in the temple ;
assigning, as his reason, the danger to which we
BUDHIST PKIEST. 9
should be exposed of an outbreak of popular hatred,
on the other side of the river, at a distance from the
European factories. He thought that possibly we
should be safe in coming to him during the day ; but
that to pass the night in the temple would be attended
with imminent personal hazard to himself, as well as
to us. He suggested the plan of our chartering a
native vessel, and living on the river ; in which case
he was willing to become our guest, and to remain
with us altogether. This, for obvious reasons, we
declined ; and the only alternative was, if practicable,
to engage his services as our teacher at our own
abode. The chief difficulty was his independent
situation, which rendered him unwilling, as he said, to
engage his services as a hireling, or in any other
capacity than that of a friend. He had served his
course of three years as Abbot ; and having fulfilled
the legal period, retired into privacy, according to
the rules of the institution, having attained the
highest summit of ambition, as the Superior of the
richest and most famous temple in Canton. Accord-
ing to the ancient regulations of the order, he had an
ample allowance from the temple-revenues for his
support; and was permitted to travel into foreign
countries, probably as much with a view of avoiding
feuds between the Abbots who successively pass the
chair, as for the purpose of enlarging their knowledge.
A short time since he was very anxious to visit
America, and had consulted one of the Missionaries
on the subject. He had cherished the intention of
visiting England, in company with Mr. Morrison ; but
the unexpected death of the latter had dissipated all
such plans. He remained to dine with us; and,
10 MONASTIC RULE.
arrayed in his long, black, flowing robes, with his head
completely shaven, he presented an imposing specta-
cle to our party. He endeavoured to show little acts
of polite attention, by asking our age, and placing on
our plates some fruit and sweetmeats, which we were
obliged to eat, by the rules of Chinese etiquette, as a
mark of our appreciating the attentions. By the rules
of the monastic order, the monks abstain from flesh
and strong beverages. But the Priest, on this occasion,
seemed to have no great scruples on these points ;
and, as well as he could, being supplied with Chinese
chop-sticks, he endeavoured to give due honour to the
provisions set before him. His whole demeanour
was that of a perfect gentleman, and exhibited a mix-
ture of true modesty and graceful dignity. Though
in the latter stages of our acquaintance we had reasons
for suspecting him of avarice and pride, yet the visit
of such a man to Europe would be a new era in our
intercourse with China, and might have important
results in changing the native disposition towards
Europeans.*
Before his departure we had a visit from an indi-
vidual, well known by name in Europe and America
as the first-fruits of modern Protestant Missionary
efforts among the Chinese, and the first Native Evan-
gelist to his fellow-countrymen, Leang" Afa. He
appeared about sixty years of age, a man of sturdy
* The portrait of this remarkable man is in the Chinese Exhibi-
tion in London, numbered 1032 in the Catalogue. The proprietor
of the Exhibition testified to the liberality and obliging efforts by
which he was assisted by the Abbot in procuring for the collection
various specimens of vertd from the interior of the Empire.
LEANG AFA. 11
dimensions, of cheerful manners, and venerable aspect.
He seemed greatly interested in our arrival, and
joined with much animation in the conversation.
The sight of such a trophy of the converting power
of God's grace excited emotions of joy in our minds,
such as can only be estimated by those placed in a
similar situation. It refreshed the weary eye, as the
fair green oasis in the desert. The circumstances
under which we met were somewhat remarkable.
On the one hand was a native scholar, accounted wise
and honourable, and yet the slave of a debasing ido-
latry, ignorant of the true God, and of Jesus Christ the
Saviour of mankind. On the other hand sat a Chinese,
less deeply versed, perhaps, in the vagaries of Pagan
learning, but taught by the Spirit of God, and rescued
from sin and death by Divine Grace. Here we saw
the contrast between nature and grace the wisdom
of this world and the wisdom of God. I was pleased
to observe that neither Leang Afa nor the Priest
showed any marks of an uncourteous disposition.
They exchanged the usual signs of salutation, and
conversed with each other with apparent affability.
The Christian meekness of the one, and the true na-
tive politeness of the other, prevented the indication
of any thing like illiberal antipathy. Of the one it is
sufficient to say, that neither his fears of persecution,
nor his long expatriation from China to the Straits of
Malacca, nor the influence of surrounding heathenism,
had deterred him from boldly confessing the Saviour.
Of the other, it is no slight commendation to assert,
that he only requires the sanctifying influence of the
Gospel, to raise him immeasurably above the gene-
rality of his countrymen. We esteemed ourselves
J2 CHINESE STUDIES.
fortunate in finally securing his attendance as our
teacher of the Court dialect for a few hours daily.
Our time was henceforth fully occupied by our
Chinese studies, and the visits which we made from
time to time to those localities which were accessible
to foreigners, and calculated to supply the mind with
interest and information.
CHAPTER II.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE CITY OF CANTON.
EARLY HISTORY AND CIVILIZATION ANCIENT COMMERCIAL
CELEBRITY EARLY MAHOMEDAN ACCOUNTS EXTENDED
INTERCOURSE WITH EUROPEANS IN THE SIXTEENTH CEN-
TURY TROUBLES ON TARTAR CONQUEST OF CHINA
TOPOGRAPHY OF CITY DIVISION AND MUTUAL CHECKS OF
GOVERNMENT DIFFICULTY OF FOREIGNERS ENTERING
THE CITY PROPER CROWDED POPULATION NARROW
STREETS SHOPS RIVER-POPULATION BLIND BEGGARS
MEDICAL MISSIONARY HOSPITAL ITS MORAL INFLUENCE
THE PATIENTS A POOR SCHOLAR SURGICAL OPERATIONS
THE PARSEES.
THE city of Canton is one of the oldest cities in this
part of the Empire, and native historians vie with each
other in the effort to trace its annals to the remotest
antiquity, and to call in the tales and wonders of my-
thology to their aid. Without dwelling on the vaunt-
ing statements in the native classics, and the events
connected with the name of the famous Yaou, who,
4000 years ago. commanded one of his Ministers to
v C? *
repair to the South and govern the " splendid capital "
and its surrounding country, we come down to the
period of sober narrative, and behold Canton an im-
portant city of the South, possessing a fair measure of
improvement, an industrious population, the advan-
tages of commerce, and a moderate portion of the
14 EARLY HISTORY OF CANTON.
blessings of civilization, at a time when our own
country was excluded, by the barbarous cruelty of our
ancestors, from intercourse with the civilized world,
or was the prey to the marauding expeditions of every
plundering adventurer. So early as two centuries
and a quarter before the Christian era, the people of
the South for many years carried on a successful re-
bellion against the Emperor Che Hwang of the Tsin
dynasty ; and what is now the site of the city of Can-
ton became the scene of the sanguinary horrors of a
protracted siege. The imperial forces were routed ;
the siege was raised ; and not till about 200 B.C. did
the rebellious tribes of these Southern frontiers submit
to the imperial sway in the person of the founder of
the Han dynasty.
There are strong grounds for stating the opinion
that a considerable intercourse existed between the
natives of India and the people of Canton soon after
the Christian era. It is not till the time of the Tang
dynasty, about 600 A.D., that Canton became a regu-
lar commercial emporium, with fixed regulations and
a tariff. Extortions at this early period frequently
drove the foreign merchants to seek other marts for
their commodities. Cochin China for a time shared
the profits that were diverted from Canton ; and a
spirit of hostile rivalry, sometimes leading to open
war, was excited between the Cochin Chinese and the
people of Canton. In spite of these obstacles to its
growing commerce and importance, this city made
rapid strides in improvement and the enlargement
of its foreign intercourse. To such an extent had it
increased, that in the account of a Mahomedan tra-
veller, generally considered genuine and authentic,
ANCIENT COMMERCIAL CELEBRITY. 15
who visited Canton before the close of the ninth cen-
tury, we have the following statement, in reference to
a recent rebellion and massacre of the inhabitants
who persisted in their loyalty : " At last he (the
leader of the rebels) became master of the city, and
put all the inhabitants to the sword. There are
persons fully acquainted with the affairs of China,
who assure us, that, besides the Chinese who were
massacred upon the occasion, there perished one hun-
dred and twenty thousand Mahomedans, Jews, Chris-
tians, and Parsees, who were there on account of
traffic. The number of the professors of these four
religions, who thus perished, is exactly known ; be-
cause the Chinese are extremely nice in the account
they keep of them." At this early period it is also
related " that at Canfu (the ancient name of Canton),
which is the principal scale for merchants, there is a
Mahomedan appointed judge over those of his reli-
gion, by the authority of the Emperor of China." One
of the most considerable objects which the traveller
sees rising before him, as he approaches the provincial
city, is a lofty pagoda, different in form and structure
from every other building, and which, on inquiry, he
is told is the Mahomedan mosque, built above a thou-
sand years ago. After the city had experienced its
full share of tumults, wars, bloodshed, and the other
calamities of a semi-civilized state, we arrive at that
important epoch in the history of commerce, the com-
mencement of the sixteenth century, when, by the
discovery of the passage by the Cape of Good Hope,
the doors were thrown open to a more frequent and
extended intercourse between China and Europe.
The Portuguese led the way, and were quickly fol-
16 MANCHOW TARTAR SIEGE.
lowed by English, Spanish, and Dutch adventurers.
These times of peaceful industry and prosperous com-
merce were unhappily again disturbed by the troubles
consequent on the subjugation of the Empire by the
Manchow Tartars. The people of Canton, faithful to
the former Ming native dynasty, raised the standard
of revolt, and, under the leadership of a native prince,
tried the issue of war. The Tartar armies soon re-
duced the neighbouring provinces to submission; and
after defending itself against the assaults of the be-
siegers, Canton at last fell, probably by the treachery
of the prefect of the city, who was permitted by the
conquerors quietly to retain his office. Some native
accounts depict in awful colours the carnage which
ensued, and state the number of the slain at 700,000.
The old city was reduced to ashes, from the ruins of
which the present city of Canton has gradually risen,
and has, under the Tartar sway, enjoyed a course
of uninterrupted tranquillity, during which it has
risen to be the first commercial emporium of the
Empire, to which, till recently, all foreign commerce
was restricted by the Tartar jealousy of foreign influ-
ence. Roving bands of lawless banditti, called into
existence by the frequent troubles during the change
of dynasties, and by what are called the fortunes of
war, even now continue to be the scourge of the dis-
trict, as they are also indications of the ineffective
character of the administration of police.
Such is the brief, though imperfect, outline of
the changes to which Canton has been subject in
the various vicissitudes of its history. It partakes
of the usual appearance of Oriental cities ; and fur-
nishes a good specimen of Chinese cities in general.
TOPOGRAPHY OF THE CITY. 17
The surrounding scenery presents nothing remarkably
striking to the eye. The neighbouring country is one
large plain of well-cultivated fields, with a bold range of
hills in the distance to the north-east. The city itself,
i.e. the part contained within the walls, is. of compara-
tively moderate extent, the whole circuit of walls pro-
bably not exceeding six miles. A wall running from
east to west divides what is called the Old City, in
which the Tartar population and garrison reside,
from the New City, which is not more than a third of
tile size of the former, and lies on the south. At
either extremity of this, a wall is carried down to the
river, at one or two hundred yards' distance. The
suburbs are very extensive, and exceed in extent the
city itself.
The different departments of Government are so
arranged, as to keep up a mutual check upon each
other. Thus the tsung-tuh, who is the viceroy or
governor-general of the two provinces of Kwangtung
and Kwangse, has his fixed residence in the New City.
His nominal abode is, however, situated some miles to
the west of the city ; and though, on account of the
facilities of Canton, he is allowed to reside within the
walls, he is not allowed to bring thither the troops
placed at his command. The foo-yuen, the acting
or lieutenant-governor of Kwangtung province, who,
though generally subordinate, is, in many points, inde-
pendent of the tsung-tuh, and hence sometimes be-
comes a rival, is stationed in the Old City, where a small
force of military is placed at his disposal ; and thus a
balance of power is preserved. Again, to guard
against the danger of combination on the part of these
governors, or of the military force, entrusted to the
c
18 LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
foo-yuen for the purposes of police, being employed
in the attainment of political aggrandizement, the of-
ficer usually styled the Tartar-general, the tseangkeun,
is located, with a strong force of Tartar troops, in the
Old City, thus providing a check on ambitious civil
governors, as well as a defence of the city against foreign
invasion. The same principle of mutual checks is re-
markably developed in all the other offices of state and
finance, adapted to the preservation of the reins of
power in the hands of the present foreign dynasty. It is
probably to the consciousness of insecurity, and fear "of
the native Chinese, that much of the jealous restrictive
policy, which has peculiarly characterized the Man-
chow Tartar race, is to be traced. They hear that
the western barbarians are powerful. Especially
they are told that the English foreigners have, from a
small beginning, in the lapse of a single century, de-
molished dynasties, overthrown kingdoms, and gra-
dually brought the whole of India under their yoke.
Hence this fear, joined to their distrust of the native
Chinese, leads them to persist in an exclusive policy,
which for so long a period has banished foreigners to
a distance from the capital, and to load them, in their
edicts, with a full measure of invective. Even at
Canton, with all the boasted advantages of the British
treaty, Europeans cannot venture in safety within the
city-walls. Frequently did we in vain seek to obtain
the assistance of our native teacher in exploring the
city. Once we caught a glimpse of the Chuhlan-mun,
the nearest gate to the foreign factories. We met
with no. Europeans who, within the last two years, had
ventured to enter, with the exception of a naval
lieutenant, who was quickly compelled to seek safety
JEALOUS RESTRICTIONS. POPULATION. 19
by flight, amid a shower of missiles, and with some
bodily bruises. Popular violence, so long encouraged
against foreigners, either could not now be restrained
by the native authorities, or was the engine of terror,
disingenuously employed by them, to prevent the in-
gress of Europeans, and the humiliation of the rulers.
The Mandarins made one unvarying statement to the
British and American Consuls, that foreigners were
welcome to enter the city, but they could not restrain
the populace, or promise an immunity from assault.
It is to be hoped that increasing experience of the
urbanity, fair dealings, justice, and, above all, of the
improved morality of the foreign community, will gra-
dually undermine, and finally eradicate, this hostile
feeling.
The recently-arrived stranger naturally manifests
surprise and incredulity on being told that the esti-
mated population of Canton exceeds a million. As
soon, however, as he visits the close streets, with their
dense population and busy wayfarers, huddled toge-
ther into lanes from five to nine feet wide, where
Europeans could scarcely inhale the breath of life,
the greatness of the number no longer appears in-
credible. After the first feelings of novelty have
passed away, disappointment, rather than admiration,
occupies the mind. After leaving the open space
before the factories, or, as the Chinese call them,
the thirteen hongs, and passing through Old
China Street, New China Street, Curiosity Street,
and similar localities, the names of which indicate
their propinquity to the residence of foreigners, we
behold an endless succession of narrow avenues,
scarcely deserving the name of streets. As the
c2
20 NARROW STREETS.
visitor pursues his course, narrow lanes still con-
tinue to succeed each other, and the conviction is
gradually impressed on the mind, that such is the
general character of the streets of the city. Along
these, busy traders, mechanics, barbers, venders, and
porters, make their way ; while occasionally the noisy
abrupt tones of vociferating coolies remind the tra-
veller that some materials of bulky dimensions are on
their transit, and suggest the expediency of keeping
at a distance, to avoid collision. Now and then the
monotony of the scene is relieved by some portly Man-
darin, or merchant of the higher class, borne in a
sedan-chair on the shoulders of two, or sometimes
four men. Yet, with all this hurry and din, there
seldom occurs any accident or interruption of good
nature. On the river the same order and regularity
prevail. Though there are probably not fewer than
200,000 denizens of the river, whose hereditary do-
mains are the watery element that supports their
little dwelling, yet harmony and good feeling are
conspicuous in the accommodating manner with which
they make way for each other. These aquatic tribes
of the human species show a most philosophic spirit
of equanimity, and contrive, in this way, to strip daily
life of many of its little troubles ; while the fortitude
and patience, with which the occasional injury or de-
struction of their boat is borne, is remarkable.
To return from the wide expanse of the river-
population to the streets in the suburbs, the same
spirit of contented adaptation to external things is
everywhere observable, and it is difficult which to
regard with most surprise the narrow abodes of the
one, or the little boats which serve as family resi-
SHOPKEEPERS. 21
dences to the other. There is something of romance
in the effect of Chinese streets. On either side are
shops, decked out with native ware, furniture, and
manufactures of various kinds. These are adorned
by pillars of sign-boards, rising perpendicularly, and
inscribed from top to bottom with the various kinds of
saleable articles which may be had within. Native
artists seem to have lavished their ingenuity on several
of these inscriptions, and, by their caligraphy, to give
some idea of the superiority of the commodities for
sale. Many of these sign-boards contain some fictitious
emblem, adopted as the name of the shop, similar to
the practice prevalent in London two centuries ago.
On entering, the proprietor, with his assistants or
partners, welcomes a foreigner with sundry salutations ;
sometimes advancing to shake hands, and endeavour-
ing to make the most of his scanty knowledge of
English. They will show their saleable articles with
the utmost patience, and evince nothing of disappoint-
ment if, after gratifying his curiosity, he departs
without purchasing. At a distance from the factories,
where the sight of a foreigner is a rarity, crowds of
idlers, from fifty to a hundred, rapidly gather round
the shop, and frequent embarrassment ensues from
an incipient or imperfect knowledge of the collo-
quial medium. In these parts the shopkeepers know
nothing but their own language, are more moderate in
their politeness, and, as a compensation, put a less
price on their wares. To write one's name in
Chinese characters is a sure method of enhancing
their good favour. Sometimes no fewer than eight or
ten blind beggars find their way into a shop, and
there they remain, singing a melancholy dirge-like
22 BLIND BEGGARS.
strain, and most perseveringly beating together two
pieces of wood, till the weary shopman at length takes
compassion on them, and provides for the quiet of his
shop by giving a copper cash to each ; on receiving
which they depart, and repeat the same experiment
elsewhere. The streets abound with these blind
beggars, who are seldom treated with indignity. A
kindly indulgence is extended to them, and they
enjoy a prescriptive right of levying a copper cash
from every shop or house they enter. It is said that
this furnishes a liberal means of livelihood to an
immense number of blind persons, who, in many
instances, are banded together in companies or so-
cieties, subject to a code of rules, on breach of which
the transgressor is expelled the community, and loses
his guild.
In every little open space there are crowds of
travelling doctors, haranguing the multitude on the
wonderful powers and healing virtues of the medicines
which they expose for sale. Close by, some cunning for-
tune-teller may be seen, with crafty look, explaining
to some awe-stricken simpleton his future destiny in
life, from a number of books arranged before him, and
consulted with due solemnity. In another part, some
tamed birds are exhibiting their clever feats, in
singling out, from amongst a hundred others, a piece
of paper enclosing a coin, and then receiving a grain
of millet as a reward of their cleverness. At a little
distance are some fruit-stalls, at which old and young
are making purchases, throwing lots for tlie quantity
they are to receive. Near these again are noisy
gangs of people, pursuing a less equivocal course of
gambling, and evincing, by their excited looks and
MISSIONARY HOSPITAL. 23
clamours, the intensity of their interest in the issue.
In another part may be seen disposed the apparatus
of some Chinese tonsor, who is performing his skilful
vocation on the crown of some fellow-countryman,
unable to command the attendance of the artist at a
house of his own.
We leave the motley assemblages which meet the
eye on all sides, to take a view of incidents more agree-
able and cheering in a moral and religious point of
view. Emerging from the factories into Hog Lane
a district abounding with refuse of all kinds, moral
and material, and of which the inauspicious name is
but a faint emblem we proceed about half its length,
till, on our left, we observe a door, not remarkably
different from the rest, but having a few sedan-chairs
standing by, to indicate that some more opulent visi-
tors are within. This is the Ophthalmic Hospital,
in connexion with the Medical Missionary Society,
organized, in 1838, at Canton, and having similar in-
stitutions at Hong Kong, Amoy, Ningpo, and Shang-
hai. The object of this Society was, to supply, gra-
tuitously, medical assistants and drugs to those medical
Missionaries who have been sent, by the Protestant So-
cieties in England or America, to attempt the evange-
lization of the Chinese, in connexion with the bene-
volent effort to impart to the diseased sufferer the
medical skill of Christendom. There is, professedly,
no interference with the Missionaries themselves ;
but a periodical report is expected of the state and
progress of the Missionary Hospital. Subsequent
events have led to a partial disorganization of the
Society itself.
On entering the hospital, numbers of Chinese,
24 MEDICAL PATIENTS.
generally of the humblest ranks, are seen in the
lower room, with impatience and anxiety depicted on
the countenance. Diseases of every kind, but prin-
cipally those of the eye, are brought hither, in the
hope of obtaining relief from the humane skill of the
Christian physician. On ascending into the upper
range of rooms, from sixty to a hundred patients may
generally be seen, on the weekly receiving day, sitting
and waiting their turn to consult the Missionary,
with his native assistants, at a table at the upper
end of the room. Rude paintings of the various cases
of tumours of large dimensions, removed by the hand
of the operator, are hung round the room, to com-
memorate the benefits of the institution, and to en-
courage the confidence of the Chinese in the skill of
the foreigner. Many emaciated sufferers, and many
anxious mothers, pressing to their bosoms little pitiable
infants, are here to be seen, watching most intently
the words of the physician on their case, and eagerly
extracting a ray of comfort from his looks. It is
in such a school as this, that contentment and grati-
tude to the Almighty are most forcibly taught and
impressed on those who are exempt from the slowly-
consuming pangs of sickness and disease. It is in
such scenes that the heart of the Christian grows soft,
and brings forth the genial emotions of sympathy and
kindness towards our fellow-heirs of corruption and
death. It is here, also, that the proud arrogance of
native prejudice is subdued, under the power and
beauty of the disinterested benevolence which springs
from a heaven-born faith. To use the words of a
Native Christian, Leang Afa, " When I speak to my
countrymen in the villages and suburbs about Jesus
A POOR SCHOLAR. 25
Christ, and His glorious Gospel, they are careless,
and utter expressions of scorn ; but in the hospital
their hearts are soft, and they will listen to the Gospel
with serious attention." The advantages to the Mis-
sionary work of such an institution are obvious to all.
Our respected friend, who presides over it, has had
the privilege of exhibiting to nearly 20,000 patients
the benevolence of the Christian Religion. Among
these have been one or two officers high in the state ;
and it is to be hoped that the noble-minded Ke-Ying
will never forget that he has received, at the hands
of a Christian, the remedies which removed his bodily
sufferings.
On the first day of our visit we saw among the
rest a literary student, a sew-tsai, or graduate of the
lowest degree. Though his external appearance and
dress plainly told the humble condition of life to
which he belonged, yet he was now on a visit to
Canton for a recent literary examination for the next
step on the road to preferment, the keu-jin degree,
for which he had been an unsuccessful candidate.
It is a common practice for a poor family to single
out some hopeful scion of the house, of promising
talents and ability, who is supported by the contribu-
tions of his relatives ; and thus, relieved from the ne-
cessity of bodily labour for subsistence, h'e is enabled
to devote the undivided powers of his mind to that
summit of ambition, literary distinction, and the con-
sequent enriching of his family on his promotion. He
had lost the sight of one eye, and there was incipient
amaurosis in the other, the effect of protracted study.
He was about to return to his relatives, and presented
the physician with a fan which he had written over
26 SURGICAL OPERATIONS.
with Chinese characters, intended as a complimentary
poem, and composed by himself for the occasion.
As at this time our teachers could not speak any
English, we were compelled to learn the Chinese col-
loquial language ; and though at first it was very em-
barrassing, yet, by means of a Vocabulary and Morri-
son's Dictionary, with the previous advantage of diligent
study on the voyage from England, we soon gathered
all the common phrases necessary in our intercourse
with them. The hospital also afforded some desirable
facilities, as patients from all the provinces occa-
sionally avail themselves of its benefits ; and among
them we frequently met tea merchants and others,
from the north of China, able to converse in the
Court dialect, and very ready to help to improve our
scanty knowledge of it. At various times we wit-
nessed surgical operations, under which the Chinese
evinced great fortitude. On one occasion we saw
about ten cases of couching for cataract, two of which
were performed with great ease and skill by the
senior native assistant, named Ato. We were present
also at the removal of several tumours from men and
women. One poor Chinese submitted with great
patience to a most painful and hazardous operation,
by which a large tumour, weighing eight and a-half
pounds, was removed from the side of his neck,
extending upwards to the ear. So impassible is the
Chinese temperament, that immediately after being
laid on his bed he called for some rice-gruel ; and
in three weeks after paid us a visit to our room.
One neat young lady, most cruelly bandaged and
tortured in her feet, with tottering pace advanced
towards the physician, and submitted with great
MORAL INFLUENCE OF MISSIONARY HOSPITAL. 27
patience to a tedious operation, by which a large
excrescence was removed from either ear, which pre-
sented an unsightly appearance. The father stood
by, and informed us that it was preparatory to her
marriage. Nothing could exceed the refined delicacy
of feeling and demeanour, with which she appeared
before so many strangers. Her dress was very
beautiful, and contained a quantity of gold lace
adorning the borders. It was at times an affecting
spectacle to behold blind persons of all ages, one by
one, approach the physician, and receive from his
lips the discouraging announcement that vision was
for ever gone, and its recovery altogether hopeless.
Still more affecting was the consideration that these
poor inheritors of the woes of humanity had no
knowledge of that Divine Saviour, who has repaired
the ruins of the fall of Adam, and restored the long-
forfeited blessings of God's favour to the sons and
daughters of affliction. Great was their gratitude to
the human instrument, through whose efforts their
sufferings were relieved. More than once have we
seen the Christian physician in vain attempting to
restrain the prostration of the head to the ground, as
a token of their gratitude, and to direct their misplaced
adoration to the true Author of good, exhorting them
to thank God. Yet such is the jealousy, real or
supposed, with which this institution is viewed by the
native authorities, that the utmost caution is observed
in communicating religious instruction ; and, with the
exception of the occasional distribution of a Christian
tract, or a portion of the New Testament, no aggres-
sive effort was at this time made for the conversion of
the patients.
28 THE PARSEES.
In the districts bordering on the north of the city,
as well as in the city itself, there are a few Chinese
Roman Catholics. Some of them had been temporary
inmates of the institution. There are also a few Ma-
homedans in Canton. Near the hospital we were
pointed out a respectable-looking Chinese, a Ma-
homedan of great enterprise and zeal, who had jour-
neyed through Thibet to India, and thence had pro-
ceeded on a pilgrimage to Mecca. The Parsees, also,
are rather numerous, and form an important portion
of the inhabitants of the foreign factories, being gene-
rally natives of Bombay. They may be seen walking
in companies of from four to ten, every evening, in
long, flowing, white dresses, occasionally relieved by the
gay colour of pink or scarlet trowsers. They are an
enterprising body of merchants, and, by their success
in commerce, have gained in the East the same repute
which the Jews so long obtained in theWest. They ge-
nerally speak English, as well as their primitive Guze-
ratee tongue. Their system of religious belief, when
stript of some of its flagrant absurdities, appears
to resolve itself into a Deism, almost verging to
Atheism. They deny that they pay any idolatrous acts
of worship to the sun, or to the element of fire. They
profess to believe in the existence of one great,
Supreme Being ; but as all their notions of him are
necessarily vague, confused, and imperfect, they
say that they need some visible object of adoration,
and that they therefore transfer their worship to
fire, as the most glorious of his creatures, and
the most apt to be his representative. Amid all
their Atheistic notions, they have much of self-
righteousness. When they have a vessel on the point
A HEATHEN'S FIRST OBJECTION. 29
of going to sea, they give away money to the poor,
and frequently annoy their neighbours by the crowds
of Chinese vagrants attracted to the house by throwing
money to be scrambled for among them. Yet they
are noted for their sensual lives ; and their personal
appearance and the clamorous nature of their festivi-
ties serve to confirm this reputation.
On one occasion we formed the acquaintance of a
Parsee at the hospital, with whom we had some con-
versations on religious subjects. He told us that he
had frequently discussed such topics with a Missionary
at Bombay, whose name he mentioned with respect.
He would sometimes speak in terms of proud enthu-
siasm of the ancient glory of his race, the sublime
sanctity of the Zendavesta, and the power of Zoroaster
in reclaiming his race from a savage state to civiliza-
tion. He would also speak of their expulsion from
Persia by Mahomedan persecution, their migration to
Guzerat, and the consequent change of their language
and dress. Pointing to the various subjects of disease
in the room, and singling out especially an emaciated
form of infant suffering, we once asked him how,
on any other hypothesis than that of the entrance of
sin into the world and the fall of man, he could regard
misery at so early an age as compatible with the
infinite benevolence of the Creator. He seemed to
feel the force of the argument ; but endeavoured to
evade it by suddenly asking us how* it was there were
so many sects of Christians, and they were not all
one. In reply, we attempted to demonstrate to him
the unity of faith, of love, of practice, which distin-
guishes all spiritual followers of Jesus Christ, which
can subsist independently of any diversity in the
30 ADVANTAGE OF CHRISTIAN UNITY.
ceremonials of religion, or in the mere externals of
Christianity. As an instance of the real unity of Chris-
tians, we drew his attention to the fact, that our re-
spected host, Dr. Parker, had welcomed us with all
the kindness and affection of Christian hospitality,
though we were previously strangers to each other,
and belonged to different Christian communions. We
related to him the origin and progress of the British
and Foreign Bible Society, as a specimen of the
manner in which Christians were willing to sink their
minor differences in the grand, comprehensive effort
to diffuse the Word of God as the "common rule of
faith and practice, and the sole depository of God's
revealed will to mankind. We afterwards sent him
a letter, accompanying the gift of a Bible, which we
presented to him in the name of that Society, not only
as a token of our individual interest in his eternal
welfare, but also as a memorial of the unity of British
Christians.
CHAPTER III.
FURTHER ACCOUNT OF CANTON.
VISIT TO HONAN MONASTERY NUMEROUS TEMPLES, MONKS,
AND NUNS IN CANTON UNIVERSAL IDOLATRY VISIT OF
SOME PETTY MANDARINS, AND PRIEST'S ALARM RELIGIOUS
SERVICES INTERVIEW WITH A HIGH CHINESE MILITARY
OFFICER PENDING EXAMINATIONS FOR KEU-JIN LITERARY
DEGREE GENERAL EXCITEMET AND THIRST FOR LITERARY
DISTINCTION RETARDING INFLUENCE ON NATIONAL IM-
PROVEMENT NOTIFICATION OF SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES
PUBLIC HONOURS VISIT OF TANG-SHIN, .A LITERARY
CHINESE.
ON October 7th we paid our first visit, with a party
of friends, to the celebrated Honan Monastery, of
which one of our teachers, the priest to whom allusion
has already been made, had formerly been Abbot. We
crossed the river a little to the east of the factories,
and landed close to the Budhist Temple. On enter-
ing, we passed at once into a long court-yard, at the
further end of which is placed the emblematical tor-
toise, carved on a large stone. Passing through
another gateway, we beheld two colossal figures, said
to be images of deified heroes, guarding the entrance
to the temple. Advancing through another court, we
entered a kind of vestibule, where four gigantic idols,
two on either side, of fierce and fantastic aspect,
remind the stranger that he has entered " the palace
of the four celestial kings." Three of them strongly
32 SUPERSTITIOUS RITES OF BUDHIST PRIESTS.
resembled ^Esculapius, Apollo, and Mars, of Greek
and Roman mythology. A broad path conducted us
thence to the principal temple, where, in a large hall,
we beheld the priests celebrating their evening wor-
ship before the three Budhas. These images, together
with numerous other idols and altars, gave an im-
posing effect to the scene. A large number of monks
were standing with joined and uplifted palms, engaged
in repeating the mystical and unintelligible sounds
addressed to Budh ; while one of the number acted as
a leader or precentor in this mummery, and, with out-
stretched neck and breathless haste, poured forth a
torrent of loud sonorous jargon, which was accom-
panied from time to time by the beating of a drum
and tinkling of a bell, another priest burning some
gilt paper and incense. The whole produced a con-
fused din and uproar, which might have consisted
with a pandsemonium. From this we were hurried
to the apartments of our friend the Abbot, as we con-
tinue to designate him by courtesy. He received us
with much politeness, and tea was immediately served
for us ; before drinking which he pledged each guest
separately with his cup brought into contact with
theirs. He afterwards sent a priest to conduct us
through the different parts of the establishment,
which covers a space of seven or eight acres, and has
some crops of rice, and a little grove of ornamental
trees. A number of apartments on either side of the
principal square form the cells of the priests, and
various kinds of offices. We were conducted to the
stall or pen, in which the sacred pigs are domiciled.
According to the popular theory, these pigs are main-
tained in a state of plenty, and are invested with a
SACRED PIGS. 33
degree of sanctity, as a compensation to the species
for the wrongs inflicted on them by the disciples of
Budhism, in eating swine's fleshf contrary to the pri-
mitive laws of Budh. Hence, to these favoured pigs
every possible honour is paid, as reparation for the
evils which wicked custom has perpetuated. To us
they appear to possess only one attribute of sanctity
in the estimate of the Chinese, that of excessive size
and fatness, which rendered them, for a long time,
regardless of the blows by which we endeavoured to
provoke them into a standing posture. Thence we
were conducted to the place, where, in a kind of oven,
the bodies of the deceased priests are consumed by
fire. Near to this was the mausoleum, in which the
ashes of their burnt bodies are deposited on a certain
day in each year. Adjoining to it was a little cell, in
which the urns containing the ashes are temporarily
placed till the periodical season for opening the
mausoleum.
The temple is a very old establishment, but did not
attain its celebrity till about a century and a half ago,
when, by the favour of one of the Manchow Tartar
princes, it was richly endowed. The following tradi-
tion of the circumstances is preserved. In the reign of
Kang-he certain districts in the province of Canton
remained faithful in their allegiance to the old native
dynasty, and were in a state of rebellion. A son-in-
law of the emperor was sent with a strong force, and
subdued the country. The villages of Honan, which
form the southern suburbs of the city of Canton, suf-
fered under the sanguinary vengeance of the conqueror.
Orders were issued for a general massacre of the
people. Just before the command was executed, the
34 TRADITIONARY ORIGIN.
prince saw a fat priest belonging to this temple ; and
inveighing against the supposed hypocrisy of a priest,
professing abstinence from flesh and wine, arriving at
such a size, he ordered him to be put to death. The
tradition goes on to relate a dream which happened
to the prince, which induced him to reverse the sen-
tence, and to load the holy priest with gifts, and the
temple to which he belonged with an ample share of
princely favour and wealth. Estates and money were
given to increase the endowment, which was intended
to support three hundred priests. From the difficulty
of sustaining the number, there are now only about one
hundred and sixty. Many of these are fugitives, out-
laws, and bandits, who have been driven by want or
fear to seek a shelter and asylum within its walls.
They are generally a low set of men, and only a few
of them are versed in the native literature. The
Abbot is elected by vote for a term of three years.
On several subsequent occasions we visited this
Budhist temple, and were always courteously received
by the Abbot, who once invited a young priest of very
pleasing manners, from another temple, to meet us.
Generally, on entering we were surrounded by the
lower class of priests, who, by significant gestures, in-
timated their desire that we would give them tobacco.
We made known to them that we had no such gift
for them, but offered them some copies of the Epistle
to the Ephesians, and a tract entitled " The Way of
Eternal Blessedness," which were eagerly sought and
received. On returning afterwards, we saw several
priests sitting in retired spots reading them, and in
our subsequent visits we had numerous applicants.
The Abbot himself once asked permission to take from
UNIVERSAL IDOLATRY. 35
our room a copy of Dr. Milne's sermons ; and, on my
next visit to his apartments, gave me a neat little book,
in boards of fragrant wood, containing the prayers
offered in the temple-worship to Budh. These proved
to be a mere collection of unmeaning sounds, written
in Chinese characters, but taken from the old Palee
tongue, the primitive Indian language of Budhism.
There are more than a hundred temples in Canton
consecrated to the various systems of religious false-
hood, which maintain an ascendency over the popular
mind. Of these, a few belong to the Taou sect, whose
priests may sometimes be seen walking in the streets,
and are easily distinguished by the peculiar mode in
which their head is shaven, a portion of the hair being
left so as to be formed into a tuft on the crown. A
larger number are denominated "temples of ances-
tors." By far the most considerable portion, however,
are devoted to Budhist worship. There exist also nu-
merous public altars to the deities, who are supposed
to preside over the locality, or to exercise a dominion
over the different elements, together with count-
less altars raised to the household gods. Religious
processions and festivals also form a portion of
the long catalogue of superstitious practices, which
tend to prove that here, as in every other part of the
world, man cannot subsist without the semblance of
religious worship ; and that if he possess not the true
religion, he invariably seeks its substitute in the coun-
terfeit inventions of falsehood.
The whole number of priests is estimated at 2000,
who live a monastic life, and are bound to a life of
celibacy, as long as they remain inmates of the temple.
Though it is considered discreditable for the priests
D 2
36 LOW CHARACTER OF PRIESTS.
to abandon the sacred office, and to revert to a secu-
lar calling, yet in most cases they adhere to the
monastic life only because they have no other means
of livelihood. They lead an idle sauntering life, and
may be seen standing about the entrance of the temple
precincts, distinguished more by their bare shaven
crowns, than by their manners or demeanour, from
the surrounding crowds of idlers. About 1000 nuns
are also supported in the various institutions: they
adopt the same dress as the monks, having their head
completely shaven, and wearing a long black flowing
robe. Though Confucianism is the only religious
system professed by the state, the sage, and the scholar,
yet every system of superstition exerts its divided
influence over the ignorant masses ; and, by an un-
happy inconsistency, idolatry, though decried by the
learned, is yet followed and practised by all.
October IQth We had an opportunity of witnessing
an instance of the spirit which still prevails in Can-
ton in reference to foreign intercourse. A Mandarin
called on our host, while we were at dinner, on
business, and we were introduced to him. He ap-
proached us with great politeness, and shook hands.
He wore an opaque white button on the top of his
official cap, and had a peacock's feather hanging down
over his back. He held the office of deputy district
magistrate, and appeared to be about fifty years of age.
We were entertained during the greater part of the
meal with the high shrill tones of the Peking dialect,
as he conversed with much apparent earnestness with
our host in the adjoining verandah.
Soon after, as we were sitting in our room, en-
gaged with our teachers, Choo and the Honan
ODIUM OF CONNEXION WITH FOREIGNERS. 37
Priest, the latter was suddenly thrown into great
consternation by the announced, and subsequent
actual arrival of three Mandarins in the adjoining
room. All our efforts to calm his mind proved
ineffectual : he trembled like a leaf, and cast most
imploring looks to us not to expose him. At his
request, we removed our books and writing materials
into the bed-room, which communicated with the
verandah adjoining the room in which the officials
were engaged in a discussion with our friend, who
had been acting as interpreter in the recent American
negotiations. The priest entreated us to speak in a
whisper ; and the least sound seemed to penetrate his
very soul. As for old Choo, he did not seem to parti-
cipate in this feeling to any great extent, having been
inured, by thirty years' intercourse with foreigners, to
hazards of this kind. He made the priest angry with
him by speaking in a soft, but audible tone ; and after-
wards, prompted by curiosity, ventured in silence
to steal a glance into the other room ; while the
other Chinese, placed on a higher pinnacle of rank,
and therefore more exposed to the shafts of official
displeasure, was tortured by fear. At last the officers
took their departure, and released the priest from a load
of care. It is difficult, under the new system of inter-
course provided for by the British treaty, to account
for these fears of respectable Chinese, except on the
supposition that the native Government is known to
have made reluctant concessions to foreigners, and to
regard with peculiar animosity those natives who
associate with them.
On Oct. 13th I preached to about forty Europeans
and Americans, in Dr. Parker's dining-room, my fellow-
I
38 RELIGIOUS SERVICES.
labourer, Mr. M'Clatchie, conducting the prayers in
accordance with the Liturgy of the Church of England.
This Service we generally continued every Sabbath
during our stay in Canton. In the afternoon, our host
and hostess joined with Leang Afa and ourselves in
partaking of the Lord's Supper, for the first time after
our arrival in China. An unusual solemnity pervaded
the occasion ; and we felt the privilege of Christian
communion with each other at this distance from the
Churches of our respective father-lands. We assem-
bled, few in number fewer than the original
Apostles, and, like them, in an upper room, with a
world lying around us in unbelief. There we peni-
tentially confessed our sinfulness, and implored
strength for our work. There we anew com-
memorated that Saviour's death, on whom we built
our hopes of acceptance, and in obedience to whose
command, Go and teach att nations, we had come
hither. And even here we were not without encou-
ragement, in the fact of our approaching the Lord's
table, in company with one, who, himself the first-
fruits of modern Missionary efforts in China, was
now an Evangelist to his own countrymen. We
sang some hymns appropriate to our situation ; and
the Service was concluded by Leang Afa praying, in
Chinese, for the spread of the Gospel, and the con-
version of his country. The earnestness of his tone
plainly told us the fervency of his supplications.
We were afterwards informed that his intercessions
on the occasion were indeed most ardent on be-
half of the idolatrous empire of China. He is sup-
ported by the London Missionary Society ; and has
daily prayers and reading of the Scripture at his
MILITARY OFFICER. 39
house, about a mile distant on the opposite side of the
river, at which some of his countrymen attend from
time to time, and converse with him about Christianity.
He has a wife, a son, and a daughter, Christians ; and,
about a year ago, his aged mother was baptized.
Oct. 15th This evening we went, by invitation, to a
neighbouring hong, to meet a Mandarin of the highest
class but one, holding military rank, and enjoying the
privileges of a naturalized or adopted Tartar ; i. e. a
descendant of those native Chinese who had assisted
the Manchow Tartars in gaining the throne, and had
for these services been admitted to an equality of
rank with the conquerors. He had distinguished
himself in war ; and, as a reward of his services, was
decked with the honorary badge of a peacock's fea-
ther with three eyes, the largest legal number. We
were soon on familiar terms ; and though, from the
nature of the conversation, which was interpreted
to us, we did not conceive his stock of ideas to be
very large, we contrived to spend a tolerably inter-
esting evening in his company. He was very obliging
in his endeavours to encourage our incipient efforts
in the Mandarin dialect, and, when we were tole-
rably successful, patted us on the shoulder. He was
very particular in showing each article of ornament
and use which he had with him, among which was a
crystal snuff-bottle, which I filled with some snuff
that had been for some years lying in my writing-
desk. He received the present, and seemed to value
it, as, two or three days after, I received an express
messenger from his residence in the city, thanking
me, and inquiring whether any such could be pur-
chased at Hong Kong or Macao. He had two atten-
40 LITERARY EXAMINATIONS.
dants, who stood behind, but were at no pains to con-
ceal their participation in any subject of amusement
that occurred, frequently offering their remarks.
When any person who happened to be rather tall in sta-
ture entered the room in which we were, the first thing
our visitor did, after shaking hands, was to propose
their standing back to back, in order to compare their
respective height, as he is taller than the generality
of Chinese. Though he professes an eternal friend-
ship for one or two of our friends among the foreign
residents, and occasionally pays them an evening
visit, he is always alarmed at any proposal to visit him
at his own house, and meets it with an open indication
of unwillingness, probably fearing the odium he should
incur. His manners were very polite, and he has the
reputation of being a liberal-minded man.
Oct. 11th We learnt from our old teacher, Choo,
that the seventy-two (the legal number) successful as-
pirants to the degree of keu-jin dine together on this
day with the public functionaries, to commemorate
with rejoicing their promotion. His brother-in-law
was one of the happy number ; and we had, a few days
after, to dispense with Choo's services, to enable him
to go home, on the plea of joining in the family festi-
vities consequent on the distinction of one of its
members. There were eight thousand candidates in all.
Before they are qualified to compete at this triennial
examination for literary honours, held only in the
capital of the province, they must be sew-tsai, L e. gra-
duates of the lowest degree, conferred in the capital
city of each department. For several weeks the exa-
mination furnishes a subject of all-absorbing interest
to the people. Hopes and fears, joy and solicitude,
THIRST FOR DISTINCTION. 41
fill the minds of the relatives of the various candi-
dates, as they dwell in imagination on the prospective
distinction of their families, and build a visionary fa-
bric of expected honours, wealth, and power on the
contingencies of the future. Each candidate enters the
building appropriated to the purposes of examination,
which is carefully guarded by soldiers, to prevent
communication from without. Here he is located in
a cell, which is also narrowly watched, to prevent any
illicit help being conveyed to him. There, on three
different days, he writes a theme, or composes a
short poem, on some given subject from the ancient
classics, and transmits it to the judge under an
assumed name or motto, to ensure impartiality and
fairness in the tiecision. All subjects which can bear
the remotest allusion to the policy of the rulers, or
to the present dynasty, are strictly excluded. The
test of superiority consists in the style and sentiment
according with that of the ancient authors and sages.
Consequently, Chinese literati pursue for ages the
same beaten track of Confucian philosophy ; and
whereas originality forms a principal quality in the
estimate of literary excellence in Western regions,
in China, on the contrary, the inventive faculty is
checked, and innovation is stifled in the birth. Thus
the sages of the celestial empire waste their energies
in persevering efforts to remain stationary in know-
ledge. Not the faintest gleam of physical science
ever sheds a radiance on the dark chambers of their
antiquated system. For ages not a single step is
gained in the advancement of true science and those
experimental arts which serve to extend the empire
of the human mind over matter.
42 INFLUENCE OF LITERARY PROMOTION.
So great is the interest in the successful effort to
gain the higher literary degrees, that instances are
not rare of individuals persevering through succes-
sive years of disappointment till their seventieth or
eightieth year. Nor is the vigilance of the autho-
rities always sufficient to prevent the smuggling of
themes, already composed for the examination, or
their furtive introduction during the period of trial.
Three or four years ago, the son of a wealthy salt-
inspector at Canton succeeded in obtaining a keu-jin
degree, though he was known to the whole neigh-
bourhood as a simpleton. His success, the effect of
venal corruption, produced great dissatisfaction ; and
the suspicions, which were reasonably excited, were
the fruitful occasion of libels and lampoons from
the pens of the disappointed literati. Promotion is
the summum bonum of a Chinese. The highest
honours and emoluments of office are open to indi-
viduals of the humblest rank. Tartar birth, though
conferring on its possessor a considerable vantage-
ground, does not necessarily conduct to pre-eminence,
nor do family distinctions descend from father to son,
except in the case of the imperial kindred. This
system of promotion, while it secures for the empe-
ror's service a body of well-educated public officers,
at the same time perpetuates error, and presents one of
the most formidable moral barriers to the progress
of Christian truth. Frequently, also, the evils are appa-
rent of. a system, which promotes to the highest offices
of state the successful candidates for literary honours ;
men raised, indeed, above their competitors by their
erudition in Confucian lore, but often marvellously
defective in the active qualities of government, and
PUBLIC HONOURS. 43
unable to rise to the pressing exigencies of the age.
The first intimation of the individual's success, after
the literary ordeal, is learned by him from reading
his feigned name or motto posted against the walls of
the public office of the foo-yuen, or lieutenant-gover-
nor. At a certain hour, this public functionary comes
forth from his palace ; and after the customary dis-
charge of guns, the official paper is pasted up. He
then bows to the names of the successful candidates,
and retires. A public banquet, honoured by the pre-
sence of the foo-yuen and the highest authorities of the
province, is given to the newly-made keu-jin ; and,
while the thousands of disappointed scholars return to
their homes, the successful few are loaded with
applause and honour, and their names are sent
up, with their compositions, to the emperor at
Peking.
Oct. 19th We had, this evening, the company, at
tea, of a well-known individual, Tang Shin, a Hong
merchant. The exclusive monopoly and privileges of
the old Hong merchants have, by the late treaties,
become obsolete. Yet their reputation and expe-
rience give them great advantage in commerce, and
Tang Shin is a rich, as well as a learned man. He is
the author of more than one work on moral subjects,
a copy of which he promised to give us. He
remained for several hours ; and the conversation,
which was sometimes in the Court dialect, and at
other times in imperfect English, was interpreted
by our host. On his being asked the origin of the
Chinese custom of crippling ladies' feet, his opinion
was confirmatory of the current statement, that Ta-ke,
a wicked empress in the third century before the
44 ORIGIN OF CRIPPLING LADIES' FEET.
Christian era, during the Tsin dynasty, influenced
her husband to issue an edict, obliging all the Chinese
ladies to make the empress's club-feet the standard of
beauty. Some small-footed women once replied in
our hearing to the same question, to the effect that
ladies, who had no menial work to perform, did not
require the use of their feet ! Tang Shin possesses
enlightened views and information on subjects of
foreign policy. He expressed the great desirable-
ness of an imperial commissioner being sent to
other nations, as peace would then be better
maintained, and " the inner people would not re-
main in ignorance of the affairs of outward nations."
Speaking of the opium traffic, he said that it was
worse than the African slave-trade : that slaves might
be fed, and clad, and thrive in the enjoyment of
health ; that, moreover, they might, and, he empha-
tically added, they should, be restored to their father-
land. "But," he continued, "the victims of opium
grow sick in body, diseased in mind, depraved in
heart, and become physically, mentally, and morally
ruined." Our hostess pressed him to permit his wife
to visit her. He laughed, but cautiously avoided
committing himself by any such promise. He after-
wards said that the Chinese law did not allow women
to visit abroad. One of the party replied that he
had never been able to discover such a law in the
Chinese code. Tang Shin then said that he hoped
at some time their custom might be rendered like that
of foreigners, but at present it could not be so. On the
subject of bigamy he appeared to be very sensitive, and
anxious to repel the insinuation of the family-discords
which it produced. He said that his first wife (who
POLYGAMY. 45
was now dead) was above his four other more recently-
married wives in rank, and that the latter were not per-
mitted to eat in the presence of the former, but were
rather considered as her servants. " And," continued
he, " they are all happy and quiet, and live together
like sisters." He has fifteen children, and as they do
not like the idea of calling a stranger mother, he
is unwilling again to marry a wife who would suc-
ceed to the rank of mistress of the household, his con-
cubines not receiving any elevation by the death of
his wife.
In reference to the recent literary examinations, he
said that every officer in the empire, civil and mili-
tary, must professedly be a sew-tsai, or graduate of the
lowest degree, at least ; but that such was the corrup-
tion of the times, that now, instead of talent finding
its proper level, and a sure reward in promotion,
various means could with impunity be resorted to by
ambitious persons, for bribing the examiners, or ac-
quiring the necessary degree by money or influence.
Thousands even of keu-jin throughout the empire were
waiting for promotion ; the favour of the governor of
the province frequently elevating juniors, to the ex-
clusion of older and more deserving men. No person
of lower degree than Jceu-jin could be appointed to the
office of district magistrate. But perseverance in the
prosecution of literary honours was greatly checked
by the abuses, which had been growing up and acquir-
ing strength during the last few years. In the course
of his conversation, the fact became continually more
apparent, that, for some time past, the literati and
government officers have been divided into two grand
national factions ; the one, rigidly attached to an
46 CONSERVATIVE AND LIBERAL PARTIES IN CHINA.
exclusive conservatism of national isolation and
customs; the other, inclined to more liberal views,
and more especially advocating the legalized im-
portation of opium at a high duty. The former
party number the famous commissioner Lin among
their chief partizans. Among the more prominent
leaders of the liberal party are Ke-Shen, who was de-
graded for the negotiations with Captain Elliott ;
and Ke-Ying, the present imperial commissioner,
who has borne so conspicuous a part in the recent
negotiations with the British, the Americans, and the
French.
Whatever may be the ignorance, real or affected, of
the Chinese generally, respecting the superiority of
foreigners in arts, in civilization, and in power, Tang
Shin evidently laboured under no misapprehension on
the subject. He examined, with much apparent in-
terest, and many expressions of admiration, some appa-
ratus exhibited to him, showing the European method
of burning gas-light. He seemed to experience most
difficulty in comprehending the nature of a gaseous
fluid.
Before taking his departure, he received a copy
of the Epistle to the Ephesians, from the improved
version, and also a Christian tract of about a dozen
pages. He surveyed them both attentively for a
few minutes, when he remarked that the former
was difficult to his comprehension, and that the latter
was more adapted in style and subject to the Chi-
nese mind.
Tang Shin is doubtless a great distance in advance
of his countrymen. On a recent occasion he was
made an honorary member of some literary society in
A CHINESE PATRIOT. 47
America. In the letter of thanks to the officers of
the institution for the honour conferred on him, he
incidentally alluded to the evils of opium, calling on
good men of all nations to combine in putting down
the inhuman traffic. In the same letter he exhorted
the Americans to abolish slavery in their dominions.
CHAPTER IV.
EXCURSIONS INTO THE SUBURBS OF CANTON.
THE BEGGARS' SQUARE EXCURSION INTO RURAL HAMLETS OF
HONAN VISIT FROM LEANG AFA's SON A-TUH EXCURSION
WITH A NATIVE PREACHER ON THE BANKS OF THE RIVER
A NATIVE BOOK COMPOSED AND DISTRIBUTED TO DISCOU-
RAGE FEMALE INFANTICIDE CHINESE ILLUMINATIONS AND
STREET THEATRICALS.
ON October 20th I walked with two friends about a
mile and a half in a north-westernly direction from
the factories, into a part of the suburbs called the
Beggars' Square. It consists of an open space, of
about a hundred yards on each side, and has a conti-
nued range of temples on one side, extending into the
adjacent streets. In these streets there is a greater
number of dwellings indicating internal comfort and
respectability than in most other parts. There is
also a more than ordinary proportion of apothecaries'
shops, the outer walls of which are covered with an
immense number of old rags, which might at first
be mistaken for a quantity of dead, decayed ivy-
leaves; but which, on inquiry, were found to be the
various plasters which had been successfully em-
ployed on the apothecary's patients, and were nailed
up as a visible trophy of his transcendent skill in the
healing art. On entering the temples, some of them
presented unequivocal marks of dilapidation and ruin.
BEGGARS' SQUARE. 49
A crowd of people followed us into the court as far
as the entrance of the inner part of the temple, where
the sacred images and the priest on duty were sta-
tioned. The priest showed us the various articles
within, and explained the mode of consulting Budh, by
drawing lots, on the subject of making a bargain, or
marrying a wife. On emerging from these gloomy re-
cesses of fraud and superstition, we proceeded into the
centre of the square, where numbers of idle vagabonds
were pursuing their various methods of amusement or
vice. A number of emaciated pale forms were also to
be seen, partly covered with mats. Some were gasping
for breath, and were scarcely able to move. Others
were motionless, and seemed to be destitute of life.
Numbers of poor mendicants, on the approach of
sickness and disease, are brought hither by their re-
latives, and left to perish in neglected and unpitied
destitution. One poor youth, with a look that pierced
my inmost soul, had just sufficient strength to stretch
forth his hand for that temporal relief which was,
alas ! now unavailing. I counted four or five, close
by, to all appearance dead. Desirous of assuring my-
self of the fact, I stooped, and, removing the scanty
matting which partially obscured their pallid features,
gazed on the ghastly spectacle of death. Within
three or four yards of the corpses, a company of noisy
gamblers were boisterously pursuing their nefarious
vocation. Such is the baneful spell of paganism !
such the unhallowed influence of every false religion !
Even within sight of Budhist altars ; close by nume-
rous temples dedicated to heathen gods; under the
vertical beams of all the benevolence that paganism
can be supposed to diffuse ; we behold the spectacle
50 EXCURSION INTO HONAN.
of death and the dying, sinking into the grave be-
cause none will help them, and most of them perish-
ing from actual starvation and neglect. The most
corrupt form of Christianity knows no anomaly of this
kind. The most feeble measure of Christian influence
forbids hunger, disease, and penury to linger within
sight, without making an effort to impart relief. But
heathen priests permit the groan of the dying sufferer
to ascend to the sky, as a testimony to that declaration
of Holy Writ, The dark places of the earth are full of
the habitations of cruelty.
The dead bodies are, from time to time, removed
from the square by the authorities, and are buried at
the expense of Government.
Oct. 22d In the afternoon we formed a party for
making a pedestrian excursion into the rural dis-
tricts, on the Honan side of the river. We passed
through numerous streets and crossed a few bridges,
at last fairly emerging into the open fields, over
which we pursued our way to the distance of two miles
and a half. We passed within sight of Leang A fa's
abode, but judged it expedient not to mention his
name, nor, by any other means, to excite any suspicion
of his connexion with foreigners, to the hazard of his
person, as the edict against his life has never been
formally revoked. Our route lay through a burial-
ground, covered with tomb-stones, at one end of
which was a little altar with an idol. A poor woman
was engaged in burning gilt-paper and fragrant sticks,
and making prostrations before the image. The keeper
of the altar begged us to move onwards, as the woman
would be afraid to proceed with her offering, and his
gains would be endangered. The woman interrupted
RECEPTION BY THE PEOPLE. 51
him, and, with true good humour, told us she was not
afraid of our remaining. Another woman soon joined
in the offering, when both of them kept beating their
heads to the ground before the idol, and uttering an
indistinct kind of prayer. They then rose, and con-
sulted the idol on the subject which they desired, by
throwing into the air two semi-circular pieces of
wood, formed of bamboo-roots, and inferring the
idol's answer, favourable or otherwise, from the convex
sides falling downwards, or the contrary ; after which
they took their departure, not forgetting to pay the
man fifteen cash as his fee. We proceeded through
a well-cultivated district, abounding with rice-fields
and little dykes or canals, till at last we reached a
village larger than the rest, where an assemblage of
people rapidly gathered round us. One of our party,
who spoke Chinese, entered a shop, and addressed
some questions to the inmates ; but both they and the
by-standers evinced a shy, unfriendly spirit, and gave
rude replies, advising us to go back to our houses.
We returned by a different way, and met with no
annoyance, as our party amounted to seven or eight,
except from a number of young men and boys, who,
seeing our approach through a lane towards a door
which led into the fields, quickly ran round by
another road, and, barring the door, effectually inter-
rupted our progress for some minutes, more in joke
than anger. After a short delay, one of them, pos-
sessing more good nature than the rest, opened the
door, and we passed through it, while a shout of de-
rision was raised from the crowd rapidly increasing
around us. During our walk back, we recognised
a few patients, who had enjoyed the benefits of the
B'2
52 LEANQ AFA'S SON, A-TUH.
Missionary hospital, and who now showed their gra-
titude by using their influence in our favour, and
winning respect for the strangers from their neigh-
bours.
Oct. 29th Leang Afa called to introduce to us
his son, A-tuh. The latter is a smart, intelligent,
and well-educated young man. He has, for some
time, been under the instruction and care of the Rev.
Dr. Bridgman, of the American Board of Missions.
Under his roof he received advantages which place
him, intellectually, far above any other individual
among his countrymen. In addition to the other
general branches of European education, he has a
tolerable measure of acquaintance with the Hebrew
language. Having recently abandoned the Missio-
naries at Hong Kong, and connected himself with the
mercantile establishment of Powtinqua, the principal
native merchant and gentleman at Canton, he is
naturally regarded by the Missionaries with some
suspicion ; and it is to be feared that he has
been tempted by the superior gains and secular advan-
tages which he receives as interpreter, to desert the
quiet life and less alluring prospects of the Missio-
nary body. He professes a temporary absence, and
states his intention soon to return to Hong Kong. He
is sometimes invited into the presence of Ke -Ying, and
has been more than once consulted on the customs, his-
tory, and power of Europeans. The high pay which he
receives places him far above the rank of his father ;
and though the influence for good of such an indi-
vidual in the Government offices may be extensive, in
improving the tone of international intercourse, yet it
is difficult to banish regret from the mind, that, for
DISAFFECTION OF CHINESE TO HONG KONG. 53
direct Christian Missionary work, he is practically lost
to us. The case of A-tuh appears to be a specimen of
the difficulty and disappointment, to which our Mis-
sions will, for some years, be necessarily exposed,
unless the English language be excluded from Mis-
sion Schools.
He speaks English fluently, and interpreted -between
us and his father. The French treaty, and the faci-
lities which were reported to have been secured for
the protection of the Roman-Catholic religion in the
interior, formed, at this time, an exciting subject of
discussion among those acquainted with external
nations. A-tuh thought that the report was true, but
that the stipulation would not be ratified by the
emperor ; or that the Mandarins would defeat it,
by preventing the sale of land for churches, and
by similar stratagems. Both of them spoke unfa-
vourably of Hong Kong, as the resort of the worst
classes, driven thither by destitution or crime.
A-tuh especially spoke of the insolent treatment
to which the Chinese residents were exposed
from the police and the Europeans generally ; and
became much excited when he spoke of a recent
indignity of treatment, which his father had suffered.
He said the English had always been overbearing
towards his countrymen, and until they showed a
kinder spirit towards them, Christianity would never
be respected. Especially, continued he, since the war
the Chinese generally hated the English to a mucli
greater degree than even before, as they had done so
much greater mischief. On this account they were more
disinclined than formerly to listen to Christian doc-
trines ; thinking that if Englishmen were Christians,
54 DIFFICULTIES OF A NATIVE CHRISTIAN TEACHER.
it could not be a good religion which permitted them
to be so insolent and mischievous.
Afa, though he corroborated the general tenor of
these remarks, evinced a more meek and gentle spirit.
In reply to the expression of my hope that he might
have many souls for his hire, and my remark that they,
the first-fruits of the Gospel in China, were, in a pecu-
liar manner, chosen out from the masses of surrounding
heathenism, Afa said, with evident feeling, " If foreign
Christians have such love for souls as to come to
preach the Gospel to the Chinese, who hate them, how
much more ought I, a Chinaman, to exert myself for
the conversion of my countrymen." On my asking
him what were the principal obstacles to Missionary
success, he replied, "The Chinaman's heart is very
hard : they will listen to European Missionaries, and
not bring objections till they have departed. But to
me they will address remarks of this kind : ' Perhaps
this English doctrine may be very good ; but we
wish that you would first try it on the English them-
selves, for they are wicked men. When this doctrine
has made them better, then come and speak to us.' "
At another time inquirers would come for two or three
days to his house, and listen to his instructions. The
last question, before ceasing their inquiries about the
new doctrine, is frequently this, " How many dollars
a month shall we obtain if we become Christians ?"
Afa observed to me, " God can soften even such
hearts, and no one else." Before his departure I inti-
mated to him that he was known by name to many
Christian persons in my own country, and that they
watched his progress with affectionate interest. The
old man could not refrain from shedding tears, and,
AFA'S CHRISTIAN PATRIOTISM. 55
pointing to heaven, he said that he prayed heartily
that he might be what he ought to be ; but he felt
that he was not strong.
Though connected with foreign Missionaries, he is
a staunch patriot. The following instance occurred
before the outbreak of open hostilities between his
country and the British: He came with patriotic
earnestness to the late Mr. Morrison, and entreated
him to use his influence in preventing war. His
argument was characteristic. He feared that if
the English came to fight with the Chinese, and to
destroy their lives, his countrymen would never after-
wards receive Bibles, or listen to preaching, from
English Missionaries. The interests of Christianity,
therefore, should induce him to prevent hostilities by
all means in his power. In his preaching at Hong
Kong he is very bold in his apologies for the English.
Sometimes he speaks of his son A-tuh ; and requests
the Chinese, if they doubt his opportunities of esti-
mating the English character, to ask his son, who has
been brought up among foreigners, and writes and
speaks and reads their language. On such occasions
the Chinese evince excitement, and are said generally
to regard A-tuh with mingled feelings of admiration
and suspicion, as a person " who knows too much of
the foreigners." A growing impression is, however,
by these means, imperceptibly produced of the supe-
rior arts, knowledge, and civilization of Christian
lands, and of the disinterested benevolence of those
English friends among whom Afa mixes in familiar
intercourse.
The following incidents will be a practical illustra-
tion of the existing facilities for Missionary work at
56 VISIT TO THE SOUTHERN SUBURBS.
Canton facilities which are of no very extensive
kind, but such as have, nevertheless, existed for some
time ; and might, perhaps with advantage, have been
made, even at an earlier period, the vehicle of a
widely-spread system of oral instruction in Christian
doctrines, among the crowded masses of the suburban
population.
Among the various visits which I made to the
suburbs, at a distance from the factories, was an occa-
sional walk to the homely residence of an American
Missionary, the Rev. J. Roberts. He arrived in Canton
during the last summer, having, during the seven
years of his past residence in China, been engaged at
Macao, and in the island of Hong Kong, among the
lowest class of the population. Previous to his arrival
at Canton, the only Missionary machinery in existence
was the Ophthalmic Hospital, close to the foreign
factories. Immediately on his arrival, he cherished
the laudable project of settling amongst the Chinese
themselves, and living in free intercourse with
them. He accordingly rented a few rooms in the
house of a native merchant, who the more readily
afforded him a lodging, as he wished to enlarge his
trade, and to court an acquaintance with foreigners.
Here he adopted the habits and costume of Chinese
life. However some may be inclined to doubt the
expediency of such a course as the latter, yet no one
can refrain from commending the courage and zeal
by which it was dictated. Here, at the time of my
visits, he usually had two native assistants in his
lodging ; and, during the week, several Chinese, of the
lower class of merchants and tradesmen, were in the
habit of making a call, and cultivating friendly inter-
CHINESE COMPANIONS. 57
course. On one occasion I hired a boat, and sailed about
a mile down the river, east of the factories, to a point
of the suburbs nearly opposite the old fort, called the
Dutch Folly. Here, with some difficulty, I descried,
amidst the crowds of boats between which we were
pursuing our intricate course, the Chinese characters
inscribed on the dwelling in which Mr. Roberts had
secured a lodging for himself and his native com-
panions. It was close to the Tsing Hai Mun, one of
the southern gates of the city-wall. On landing,
I proceeded to the hong, and was speedily ushered
into my friend's apartments. My arrival seemed to
interest the novel company into which I was intro-
duced. Four or five Chinese, of respectable appear-
ance, were seated in the room with my friend and
two of his native assistants. A religious inquirer,
who was formerly a strolling fortune-teller, and, in
that capacity, had travelled over a considerable num-
ber of the provinces, and acquired several dialects, also
formed one of the number, being for the present an
inmate of the house. After the usual inquiries
such as my age, and the period of my arrival in Canton
prompted by Chinese curiosity, were over, the con-
versation, which had been interrupted, was resumed
amongst them. One of the assistants had a tract, .which
he read aloud, adding lengthened comments and expla-
nations, and thus giving a general outline of Christian
doctrine. He was succeeded by the other, who, for
another quarter of an hour, addressed the little com-
pany on the same subject. During this time the
visitors listened attentively, nodding assent, and bow-
ing the whole time to indicate their comprehension.
My friend also joined in conversation, and replied to
58 MISSIONARY EXCURSION DOWN THE RIVER.
their questions." Later in the day we made an excur-
sion in a boat further down the river, taking one of
the Chinese assistants, and a large supply of religious
tracts. Landing on the Honan side of the river, about
two miles below the factories, we made the best of
our way, through the crowds that were attracted by
the rare event of a foreigner landing there, to a plat-
form which was built on piles, and extended a little
distance into the river. Taking up our station here,
we speedily had a congregation of about one hundred
persons, who pressed upon us to such a f degree that
we had some difficulty in maintaining our position.
Here, amid houses of the lowest description, and with
a gang of gamblers in the adjacent room, the native
assistant preached to an attentive audience the things
belonging to their everlasting peace. About two
hundred tracts were afterwards distributed, and por-
tions of the Word of God circulated among the rapidly-
increasing crowd, who, in their eagerness to receive
copies, sometimes transgressed the usual limits of
Chinese decorum. We walked about, experiencing no
rude treatment or annoyances, except those prompted
by a harmless curiosity. It will be difficult, however,
to disabuse the native mind of the erroneous impres-
sion, that Christianity, like Confucianism, is more a
subject of theoretical speculation, than a practical
principle of purity of heart and life. Not withstand ^
ing the attentive interest which seemed to beam in
every countenance, and the sensible questions which
indicated their intellectual apprehension of the in-
structions conveyed to them, we soon had painful
proof of the laxity of morals which they deemed
compatible with our Missionary objects.
DISTRIBUTION OF NATIVE MORAL TRACTS. 59
Landing about half a mile lower down the river,
on the opposite side, and at no great distance from
the southern wall of the city, we soon formed the
acquaintance of a tea-merchant, in whose shop the
same scenes recurred, on a smaller scale, and more
tracts were distributed. The proprietor himself had,
for gratuitous distribution, some native moral tracts,
one of which he presented to us, and to the contents
of which I shall make subsequent allusion. After
taking tea with him, and giving one or two persons
with disease of the eye a note of recommendation to
the Ophthalmic Hospital, we departed to our boat,
accompanied to the river by about a hundred persons,
who, if they had wished to gratify any vindictive ma-
lice against foreigners, were not destitute of materials
for such an object in the stones and pebbles which
lay on the beach. Good humour, however, was every-
where apparent.
Returning to the Tsing Hai Mun, we dined_,in Chi-
nese style, with one of the natives ; and in the evening,
accompanied by my friend, I proceeded to the fac-
tories. In one of the streets we each took one side of
the way, and calling at nearly every house, at the hour
at which masters and servants were eating their even-
ing meal together, we left amongst the party a tract,
which was, in every case, received with politeness, and
often with apparent thankfulness. The subject of the
tract was " The Love of God," and it contained a
large portion of 1 Cor. xiii.
Of the quality of the piety and knowledge possessed
by the native assistants I was unable to form an opinion.
They were certainly novices. I saw nothing, however,
to authorize the suspicion that they were actuated by
60 CHINESE TRACT AGAINST INFANTICIDE.
other motives than a desire to promote the glory of
God. My friend himself has evinced no inconside-
rable degree of faith and courage in being the first
Missionary to penetrate the dense masses of the
suburb-population, and to live amongst them as a
friend and a brother. He has not had the advantage
of a liberal education ; and his peculiar plans have
separated him from the Missionary Society with which
he was originally connected. He remains, however,
supported principally by local pecuniary help ; and,
in the future results of his Missionary labours, it
will perhaps be found that God often chooses the
weak things of the world to confound the things that are
mighty.
Concerning the little book which we received
during our stay in the tea-merchant's shop, my old
teacher, Choo, gave me the following information. It
was written about thirty years ago by a renowned
Mandarin, Hang Fung, to discourage the practice of
drowning female infants, as its title implied. The
author was a good man, and lieutenant-governor of
Kwangtung Province. He died about ten years ago.
This book was originally published, and gratuitously
distributed, at the expense of the Government ; and
even now its circulation is promoted at the expense
of the benevolent portion of the native community.
This book naturally led me to question Choo further
respecting the prevalence of female infanticide. In
reply to my inquiries, he gave me the following statis-
tical information. Taking a circle of the radius of ten
miles around the spot where we were, he computed
that the number of infanticides did not exceed one
hundred a-year. The practice was entirely confined
STATISTICS OF INFANTICIDE. 61
to the poor, and originated in the difficulty of rearing
their female offspring. Rich men never practised
the custom ; and even poor men were ashamed of the
practice. He knew, among his acquaintance, some
who had drowned their daughters ; but they did not
like to confess the deed, but would speak of their
children having died of disease. In Fokeen Province,
on the other hand, female infanticides were very pre-
valent. At a place called Kea-Ying-Chow, about five
days' journey, or 800 le, above Canton (placed, in the
map, in the north-east of the province, but bordering
on Fokeen), there were computed to be 500 or 600
female infanticides in a month. The comparative in-
frequency of the mal-practice at Canton he ascribed
to the foundling-hospital there established, and super-
intended by the Government. He computed that 5000
female children, the offspring of parents in circum-
stances of poverty and want, were annually taken
to this institution, where they received a tempo-
rary provision and sustenance, under the inspection
of an officer who visited the hospital every five
days, and granted a certain sum for the purpose.
From time to time, the more affluent class of mer-
chants and gentry visit the hospital, and select some
of the children, whom they take to their home, and
educate for concubines or servants. The institution
is capable of containing about one thousand infants ;
and each child is generally removed in the space of
two or three months, either being taken to the homes
of the wealthy, or being sent to wet nurses to be
reared apart from the foundling-hospital. This is
the only institution of the kind in the province ; and a
portion of the rates levied on foreign ships, in former
62 FOUNDLING HOSPITAL.
times, was professedly for the support of this esta-
blishment, which is situated about a mile from the
city, in the eastern suburbs. These facts account for
the general exemption of Canton from infanticide.
But the circumstance of individual Chinese incurring
the expense of gratuitously distributing a pamphlet
discouraging the practice, is sufficient proof, to every
reasonable mind, that the evil still exists to a la-
mentable extent, rendering the appliance of such
a moral remedy necessary. Another young native,
A-tsin, whom, on account of his knowledge of English,
we engaged for occasional assistance as teacher, sub-
sequently corroborated the general tenor of Choo's
statements.
Nov. 4th to 18th It is difficult for a person, merely
resident at the southern port of Canton, to form a just
conception of the real character of social life among
the more refined classes of Chinese. Practically re-
strained within the narrow boundaries of the foreign
hongs, and excluded from a free intercourse with the
gentry of rank and influence, the utmost acquaintance
that a foreigner can acquire, during a residence
of even several years at Canton, will resemble rather an
occasional and hasty glimpse, than a matured insight
into their manners. Of the majesty of Chinese law,
and the real character of their religion, the circum-
scribed limits of a foreigner's residence render it im-
possible to speak from that extensive observation
which the other free ports offer to the inquiring mind.
Of the former I saw nothing which led me to form
any great estimation. A procession of Mandarins once
passed me on their way to the river, to which they
were escorted by a number of police-runners, a sorry
CHINESE ILLUMINATIONS. 63
band of musicians, and the usual insignia decorating
their sedan-chairs. There was nothing imposing in
the aspect of the officials, some of whom were very
portly, and others labouring under the decrepitude
of old age.
Of the influence which religion exerts over the daily
life and actions of the community, it is less difficult,
although not easy, to form an estimate. The unedu-
cated are manifestly idolaters; nor do the better
classes seem to rise much above the superstitions of
the vulgar. In fact, the Chinese have no acknow-
ledged system of religious belief, except a compound
or farrago of all the strange vagaries which falsehood,
priestcraft, mysticism, and fear have combined in
diffusing alike among Budhists, Taouists, and Confu-
cians. Their notions are wild, vague, and confused ;
and they are ready to ingraft on the multiplied
absurdities of their belief any unmeaning practice
which may seem likely to procure a lucky omen, or
the favour of chance. Of this character are the nume-
rous illuminations, theatricals, and offerings, which
at this season of the year abound in Canton. The
destructive ravages of fire among whole streets, ren-
dered still more destructive by the light combustible
materials of which their houses are composed, have
led to the practice of propitiating the tutelary deities
of the neighbourhood by a yearly offering at the com-
mencement of the winter season. Subscriptions are
collected to raise a fund for this purpose ; and whole
streets may be seen in their turn, night after night, bril-
liantly illuminated for a general holiday. Public com-
panies are also formed for supplying the usual lamps,
festoons, musicians, images, and other accessories,
G4 STREET-THEATRICALS.
which grace the festive occasion. At the end of some
of the streets the effect to the eye is magnificently grand,
where the tradesmen have been unusually successful
in business since the former similar occasion, and,
as an acknowledgment, subscribe their money for a
festival of more than ordinary grandeur. In walk-
ing through the streets, the attention is suddenly
arrested by ingeniously-contrived machinery, per-
forming, by means of images, many of the acts
of ordinary life, to the gratification of the crowd
below. A little further on, a company of living
musicians, in a retired recess or gallery, accompanying
the voice of some artiste of song, rivet the attention of
silent admirers. Suddenly, in some wider part of the
street, numerous drums, gongs, and the shrill tones of
the peculiar Chinese falsetto voice, indicate the prin-
cipal centre of attraction. On an elevated stage
may be seen mandarin processions ; battles between
the Celestials and Barbarians (in which the former,
of course, are always victorious) ; native heroes
slaying their thousands, and whirling round in the
violence of martial fury ; and horsemen whipping
their unruly steeds, as well as the whip and the action
can compensate for the absence of the imaginary
animal. Soon, again, imperial councils and the politic
measures of sage rulers, together with an occasional
introduction to an interior view of Chinese social life,
may be seen acted in all the pompous majesty of actual
reality, amid the plaudits of the enthusiastic assem-
blage. On one occasion, the mal-practices and am-
bitious career of Tsaou- Tsaou, a wicked Mandarin in
the Han Dynasty, the Napoleon of his age and
country, were the subject of representation. The
SOCIAL POSITION OF PLAYERS. 65
interest and sympathies of the assemblage seemed to
be intense, as they watched the misfortunes of the
devoted Emperor and his faithful adherents, and the
evil successes of the ambitious rebel-chief, who subse-
quently founded a dynasty in the person of his grand-
son. The actors spoke the Nanking, or old court-
dialect, and were arrayed in sumptuous dresses. At
intervals, one of their attendants advanced to the front
of the stage, and changed the inscription on a tablet,
which always exhibited some moral maxim, of which
the coming scene was to be illustrative. The inhabi-
tants of each locality seek, by these festive rites, pro-
fessedly to appease the presiding genii of the place,
but in reality to please themselves. The parts of
women are sustained by young men or boys. It
affords some insight into the real estimation in which
players are held by the educated and influential
classes, to know that theatrical actors, however their
accomplished arts are sought by all, are nevertheless,
in common with menials and priests, excluded from
the privilege of literary examinations, and conse-
quently from all hope of rising to a station of power
and wealth.
Such are some of the impressions which were made
on my mind during the period of this my first visit to
Canton ; as their outline still lingers on the memory,
and helps to recall my thoughts to the first vivid
associations and exciting novelties of Chinese life.
The remembrance of those happy hours is still fresh,
and sheds a peculiar fragrance on a period of the past,
consecrated by many blessings.
CHAPTER V.
REMOVAL TO MACAO, AND RETURN TO HONG KONG.
VOYAGE TO MACAO DESCRIPTION OF THE PLACE ITS FORMER
IMPORTANCE AND PRESENT DECAY ORIGIN OF THE SET-
TLEMENT ITS PECULIARITY AS A MISSIONARY STATION
POPISH INTOLERANCE MORRISON AND MILNE VOYAGE TO
HONG KONG DETENTION AT HONG KONG MISSIONARY
EXCURSIONS VILLAGES OF HONG KONG VILLAGES ON THE
MAINLAND OF CHINA AGONG, A NATIVE PREACHER ORDI-
NANCE OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AGAINST SECRET
SOCIETIES POLITICAL ORIGIN OF THE " TRIAD SOCIETY "
CHINESE POPULATION OF HONG KONG CASE OF A-QUEI
A NATIVE JUGGLER.
THE combined effects of climate and close application
to the study of Chinese on my health at length ren-
dered it necessary, in the opinion of my medical ad-
viser, that I should leave for Macao, for change of air.
Accordingly, on Nov. 14th, I left Canton soon after
sunset, in a native fast-boat, accompanied by two
American gentlemen. After a voyage of about thirty
hours, during which I suffered considerably from pain
in the head and fever, we came to anchor in Macao
harbour soon after midnight, on the 15th. My two
companions immediately disembarked ; but being
myself too unwell to land at that hour, I remained
in the boat till morning. The little sleep I could get,
amidst the dashing of the boats against each other,
ARRIVAL AT MACAO. 67
was effectually interrupted at day-break by the curi-
osity of the people in the adjoining boats, men and
women, who pulled open the Venetians at the side
of my boat, and surveyed the contents of the cabin.
As often as they were driven off, they would
return and repeat the experiment, so that I had
at length to dress with about twenty people intently
gazing on me during the process. On landing, I
proceeded to a Portuguese hotel, where I was confined
to my room for three days, and th.cn removed to the
house of an American Missionary, the Rev. W. Lowrie,
whose hospitality and Christian kindness were a double
comfort to me in my present circumstances. Under
his roof I spent a fortnight, occasionally taking short
walks on the neighbouring beach and in the adjoin-
ing localities ; and enjoying the advantage of fre-
quent intercourse with a few Missionaries lately
arrived from America, and temporarily resident at
Macao.
The view of Macao is very striking, as seen from
the harbour, and the place itself forms the most
delightful residence open to foreigners in China,
Having been for two centuries in the possession of
the Portuguese, it presents to the eye the aspect of a
European city, with its assemblage of churches,
towers, and forts. It stands on an inconsiderable pro-
montory of the island of Heang-shan, from which it is
separated, at the isthmus, by a narrow fortification,
jealously guarded in former times by the Chinese, to
prevent communication with the interior. It pos-
sesses two fine harbours, the inner and the outer,
one on each side of the headland. Its fine broad
roads on the semi-circular beach present a motley
F 2
68 ITS FORMER ORIGIN AND PRESENT DECAY.
appearance of the various races, of Chinese and
European descent, which form its population. The
European houses are spacious and of handsome ex-
terior. Until the conclusion of the late war, it was
the only residence for the families of foreign mer-
chants, who were prohibited from taking their wives
to Canton. The settlement of Hong Kong, and the
more liberal regulations of the Chinese government in
regard to the residence of foreign ladies at Canton,
have operated conjointly in causing the removal of
nearly all the British and American residents; and
only a few American families now remain at Macao.
For their confirmed possession of this isolated spot on
the frontiers of China, so important under the old
Chinese policy, both in a mercantile and religious
point of view, the Portuguese are indebted to the
gratitude of former Chinese monarchs, in return for
the opportune services rendered them in the suppres-
sion of the pirates who, under the leadership of the
noted Coshinga, endangered the stability of the ruling
dynasty. On account of the ambiguous position and
circumscribed sphere occupied by the few Missio-
naries at Canton, Macao may be said to have been
the only station, in former times, on the soil of China
Proper, really invested with a Missionary character.
Macao, in many respects, resembled a fashionable
watering-place in England, and abounded with the
comforts, the refinements, and even the luxuries of
European life. Such a locality was little adapted
to develope Missionary zeal, or to impress the
native mind with a respect for our religion. It
was, however, the only accessible point on the fron-
tiers of a benighted empire, which seemed to have
MISSIONAKY ASPECT. 69
entirely closed every other avenue to the approach
of Christian light. The few Protestant Missionaries,
who were stationed here, had to contend with many
discouragements. On the one hand was a Popish
priesthood, intimately connected with the local govern-
ment, narrowly watching the measures of Missionaries,
and ready to crush, at the earliest stage, any attempts
to make converts to Protestantism. On the other
hand, the Missionaries possessed only limited means of
intercourse with a depraved Chinese population, pre-
senting materials the most heterogeneous and unlikely
to be conformed to the principles of the Gospel.
Added to which, there was a mixed authority, in Macao
itself, of the Portuguese and Chinese governments.
The precise boundary of their divided authority
was a subject of continual doubt, as also of occa-
sional altercation ; so that it was only by the suffe-
rance of two adversaries, equally opposed to the truth,
that these incipient and disproportionate efforts were
conducted for the moral emancipation of the Chinese
race. A short time before the late war between
Britain and China, there were at Macao only four
Protestant Missionaries able to speak Chinese fluently.
Their efforts were principally directed to the issuing
of Christian publications from the Missionary press,
to the translation or revision of the Holy Scriptures,
to the preparation and distribution of Religious Tracts,
to medical institutions for the benefit of the natives,
and to the education of the few native children whom
they were able to obtain. Direct Missionary labours
were conducted, when attempted at all, on a small
scale ; and the preaching of the Gospel was de-
prived of that prominence among God's appointed
70 POPISH INTOLERANCE.
means for converting mankind, which, in other parts
of the world, it justly occupies. The remains of
the Rev. Dr. Morrison, his wife, and his son, Mr. John
Robert Morrison, and also those of the Rev. S. Dyer,
are interred in the European burial-ground, in the
castle-gardens. These names will ever be remem-
bered among the first Protestant Missionaries to the
Chinese ; and be regarded by future Chinese converts
with affectionate gratitude, as those of some of the
most illustrious benefactors of their race. In the
early stages of his Missionary career, it was only by
entrenching himself behind employments of a secular
kind, that Morrison was enabled to maintain his
ground against the bigoted jealousy of a Popish priest-
hood and an illiberal government. Without such
official position Milne was, speedily after his arrival,
banished from this contemplated scene of Missionary
labour to the more distant stations in the Straits of
Malacca. The principal establishment of the Jesuits
has been recently removed from Macao to the British
settlement of Hong Kong, where they are permitted
to purchase ground from the government to build a
Mission-house and Church, and to pursue without
restraint their work of proselytism, under the mild
toleration of a Protestant rule. Such is the contrast to
be seen in the prevailing spirit of Popery and Pro-
testantism, when respectively influencing the policy of
governments.
On the morning of December 2d, I left Macao for
Hong Kong, in a native passage-boat, crowded with
Chinese passengers, who pretty well divided their
whole time between eating, smoking, and gambling.
Being the only European on board, for a small sum
EETURN TO HONG KONG. 71
I was indulged with the privilege of having a little
room separated off from the main body of my fellow-
passengers, who, however, still rendered themselves
very unpleasant companions by the clouds of opium
and tobacctf-smoke which they sent into my berth.
The next day at noon we arrived at Hong Kong, and
I was soon after domiciled in the residence of the
Colonial Chaplain, the Rev. Vincent Stanton, who,
with his excellent wife, paid me unremitting kindness
during my protracted sojourn beneath their hospitable
roof. My friend, Mr. M'Clatchie, arriving from Can-
ton, joined me at Hong Kong on December 20th ;
and on the 20th of February following he embarked
for Shanghai, in order to fix his permanent abode, and
to pursue his Chinese studies at that port, which, on
the whole, seemed most likely to become one of the
contemplated Stations of the Church Missionary So-
ciety. The exploratory work of visiting all the
newly-opened ports of China was left to me, which,
however, the continued weakness of my health pre-
vented my attempting till after the close of the
unfavourable monsoon, later in the spring.
The ordinary incidents of my residence at Hong
Kong, though they must ever be deeply impressed on
my own mind in the retrospect of its many mercies
and privileges, I shall pass over, as being of a nature
little calculated to give information concerning China
and the Chinese. A few particulars will be given,
illustrative of the general position of Missionaries,
and the character of Missionary pursuits, in this
recently-acquired appendage to the colonial empire
of Britain. A more comprehensive view of the
probable influence of Hong Kong on the destinies
72 DETENTION AT HONG KONG.
of the Chinese race, and the real advantages which
it secures to the Missionary of the cross, as well, also,
as its general eligibility as a centre of Missionary
operations, will be reserved for more systematic and
enlarged consideration at the close of the volume.
A view of the state of things in the Consular ports
on the mainland of China, will enable the reader,
with greater correctness and approximation to truth, to
form his opinion of the relative advantages of Hong
Kong and those ports, as he accompanies the author
in the journal of his tour along the coast. During the
period of my temporary residence at Hong Kong,
I enjoyed the valuable privilege of continued inter-
course with the various Missionaries who were at
this time assembled at Hong Kong in more than their
ordinary number ; many of them being either tempo-
rary residents in the colony, by way of testing its
eligibility, or visiting the place on their route to some
other Missionary Station on the coast. From some of
these, who had been for several years in the Missio-
nary field, I received valuable counsel and infor-
mation, which compensated, in a great degree, for
the length of time during which I was, by various
circumstances, detained at Hong Kong.
One of the most remarkable men in China is
already well known to the religious part of the
community at home, by the published accounts of
his Missionary voyages along the coast in former
times the Rev. C. GutzlafF. Though he doubtless
saw many things through the medium of a sanguine
mind, and his opinions are consequently received with
caution by the Missionaries ; yet his past Missio-
nary labours for the benefit of the Chinese were con-
A MISSIONARY EXCURSION. 73
ducted in a spirit of boldness and courage worthy the
apostolic age. His knowledge of various Chinese
dialects, and his extraordinary mental and physical
activity, qualify him for an abundant measure of use-
fulness, such as few men can attain. It is therefore a
subject to be regretted, that, by the close engagements
of his office as Chinese Secretary and Interpreter to
the Government, he is to a great extent separated from
Missionary work. He still, however, makes Mis-
sionary excursions in the evenings and on the Sabbath
Day, among the Chinese villages, in company with
some native preachers in whom he has confidence ;
and, with all his secular engagements, is able to do
almost as much in active exertion as ordinary Mis-
sionaries are able to effect without such secular em-
ployment. A brief account of an excursion, in
which he kindly invited me to accompany him, will
give some idea of the class of Chinese on the island,
and the degree of intercourse which can be held with
them for Missionary purposes.
On Dec. 22d, about nine o'clock, A. M., we embarked
in a Chinese boat, accompanied by two native
preachers, named A-seaou and A-tai, and proceeded
along the harbour in an easterly direction. The
morning was bright and beautiful, though the cold air
made an upper coat indispensable to our full comfort.
The towering hills of Hong Kong on our right, and
the bold outline of the opposite coast, with native
huts and villages on the mainland, and a number of
Chinese junks and war-vessels sailing about in the
opposite bay of Cow-loon, gave a pleasing and
romantic effect to the scene. We doubled the
small headland, which forms the eastern boundary
74 VILLAGERS OF THE ISLAND.
of the harbour, and soon lost sight of the town of
Victoria. Our plan was to have passed through the
Lirnun Channel, and, steering northward, to have
reached a populous village on the mainland, about
twenty miles distant. As the tide had now turned
against us, and the wind was also unfavourable, there
remained no probability of our reaching the village
till late in the afternoon. We accordingly changed
our course, and determined on making the bay, which
extends about two miles along the shore of Hong
Kong to the point forming the Limun passage, the
scene of our day's operations. We therefore disem-
barked, and directed the Chinese in the boat to watch
our movements, and to follow us at a little distance
from the beach. We first landed at a stone quarry,
where the Chinese workmen were induced to leave
their labour, and, without any difficulty or delay, about
twenty natives were assembled around us, and formed
a little congregation of attentive listeners. Mr. Gutzlaff
commenced addressing them, in their own language,
on the truths of the Gospel, with much energy,
adapting himself in tone, gesture, and manner, to
the assemblage before him. They listened with ap-
parent pleasure, frequently responding and offering
observations. He was succeeded in turn by his two
native assistants, who, with much animation, especially
A-tai, the younger, addressed their fellow-countrymen.
The whole was concluded by Mr. Gutzlaff offering a
short prayer to the Almighty. We then departed, after
leaving a few tracts, amid the plaudits and salutations
of the assembly, most of whom had something to say
to us. In this way we proceeded over a space of two
miles, which was covered at almost every level and
PREACHING TO THE CHINESE. 75
habitable point by native huts of rude construction,
but with substantial outer walls to repel the inroads
of pirates and freebooters. They seemed to re-
cognise, in Mr. Gutzlaff and his native assistants, old
acquaintances ; and the authoritative tone and manner
with which he compelled any hesitating or inattentive
individual to give his presence and attention was
sometimes amusing. At one time we had a congre-
gation in the open air, with the heavens as our
canopy, and the rugged soil as the pulpit. At
another time we met in some native dwelling, where
the tenants of the adjoining huts were congregated,
Mr. Gutzlaff stationing himself at the door to allow
free ingress, but to prevent the egress of any refractory
individual. His mild compulsions were received with
good humour, extracting a smile from the object of
them, and approval from the rest. The majority were
eager to listen, following us, in some instances, to the
next place of meeting, where the services underwent
a slight change or alternation of the parts assigned
to each preacher. Some of the more intelligent list-
eners made remarks in the course of the address.
The dialect which they spoke was the Hok-ha, which
differs considerably from the Canton dialect generally
spoken in these parts. While Mr. Gutzlaff, with his
usual activity, mounted a hill, which I deemed my
strength unequal to the labour of climbing, my
attention was attracted, by the frequent noise of fire-
works and crackers, to a little eminence, to which
some degree of sanctity seemed to be attached. On
ascending it, I saw two or three ugly idols, black in
appearance, and only about six inches in height, with
sundry decorations, and a quantity of gilt paper
76 DISPOSITION OF THE NATIVES.
representing garments in miniature. Before them
were little cups filled with tea, and spacious dishes of
recently-cooked fowl and ham, with potatoes and yams,
and the usual appendages of a Chinese feast. Two
women and three or four men were all that visited the
place during the time I remained. They left the food
exposed without any fear of its being taken away ;
but this appearance of devoutness generally terminates
in their removing the offerings, and having a feast on
them at their own houses.
We next went on board a boat anchored close to the
beach, and filled with a cargo of paving-stones. The
crew amounted to about twenty, and evinced a shy
manner. Here we had a service, necessarily rendered
short by their heedless, inattentive, and unwilling dis-
position. Mr. Gutzlaff, in the course of his address,
told them they were pirates and robbers, wicked men,
living without God, and exhorted them to repentance
of sin and faith in His Son. They showed no dispo-
sition to revenge the low opinion entertained of their
morality, and attempted no denial. The whole popu-
lation of these scattered hamlets consists, with few ex-
ceptions, of Chinese of the lowest description and cha-
racter, driven by outlawry and crime, as frequently as
by the want of subsistence elsewhere, to the neigh-
bourhood of this new British Settlement, This reflec-
tion, together with the novelty of our situation, helped
to excite me to . earnest prayer for the presence and
blessing of the Holy Spirit. While listening to the
yet unfamiliar sounds and tones of the Chinese lan-
guage applied to the new and exalted object of
prayer to the true God, I trust I joined in spirit, and
found it good to be there. Six hours were spent in
EXCURSION ON THE MAINLAND. 77
such visits. The last place of meeting was at a large
village, in the shop of a tradesman of respectable
appearance. The largest assemblage during the day
amounted to about fifty persons ; and probably three
or four hundred in all heard the sound of the Gospel.
We re-embarked about half-past four P.M., and, having
a fair breeze, sailed towards Victoria, on our return,
at a brisk rate. The people whom we visited were
generally Budhists in practice, and idols were con-
spicuous in every dwelling.
Not long after the former excursion, some other
Missionaries formed a little party to accompany
Agong, a Chinese Christian, baptized about sixteen
years ago by the late Dr. Morrison, and now engaged
as a native preacher in connexion with the Medical
Missionary Hospital, on a visit to the villages on the
mainland opposite to Victoria. I went in the com-
pany ; and as no one present could speak the local
dialect fluently, Agong was the chief speaker on the
occasion. We were attended by a native boy, who
carried books and tracts for distribution. The latter
was almost a superfluous work, as in these parts hardly
one man in a village can read a book, though many
are able to understand a sufficient number of charac-
ters to keep a shop or to reckon their debts. There
was a hope, however, of their ultimately falling into
the hands of more intelligent readers. On landing at
a village called Sham-Shwui, our party separated
into two bodies, in order to disarm the fears of
the people ; two of our number sallying forth on a
pedestrian excursion over the neighbouring hill, while
a Medical Missionary and myself proceeded through
the various hamlets, where little assemblages of willing
78 QUERIES OF THE INHABITANTS.
hearers, prompted by curiosity, were got together,
and Agong addressed them on the contents of the
tracts distributed. A few cases of disease were also
examined, and the patients were invited to come to
the Medical Missionary Institution in Hong Kong,
where their cases would receive attention. Copies of
the internal regulations of the hospital were also cir-
culated, in which a due prominence was given to the
Christian objects of the hospital, and the daily assem-
bling of the patients for devotion and hearing the
Gospel. Much interlocutory dialogue passed between
Agong and some of his countrymen. " What do you
come for?" was generally the first query. He re-
plied, not to get money, but to tell them of Jesus Christ
and His Gospel. One woman asked him how much
money we wanted to get from them, if they brought
her sick child to the hospital. He replied, None.
This reply seemed to produce incredulity among them,
and drew forth expressions of doubt ; till Agong,
stroking his white beard most ostentatiously, invited
them to mark that sign of advanced age, and then to
reflect whether he, so old a man, would deceive them,
or allure them to Hong Kong by false promises. In
this way we passed through several hamlets for a
mile and a half, nothing remarkable occurring during
the walk. The country was in a moderate state of
cultivation, chiefly consisting of fields planted with
sweet potatoes, and a kind of cabbage resembling a
lettuce. The paths were very tortuous, being con-
fined to the narrow fences between the several
enclosures, and having little rills of water running
close to them. The beach was fine, spacious, and
sandy ; and the people were open and simple in their
CHARACTER AND PURSUITS OF THE PEOPLE. 79
manners, one of them serving us with some tea. At
the first village, we assembled at the entrance of a
little temple, dedicated to the "goddess of mercy,"
or "queen of heaven," represented by an image of a
female divinity with a male child in her arms. Behind
her image, at a little distance, were those of the three
Budhs. The people appeared to take delight in
showing us the various sacred objects ; but there
was an entire absence of any indications of religious
awe. Near this little temple was a house, with
a long inscription over a gate, leading into the
principal court, which resembled a small farm-yard.
This was to inform the passer-by that some rela-
tive of the inmate was a successful candidate for
literary distinction, and had obtained a keu-jin
degree.
The inhabitants of these scattered villages subsist
apparently by agriculture and fishing. They extend
over a mile and a half, and are within sight of the
town of Victoria.
On various other occasions I made excursions to
the neighbouring villages on the island, and to the
opposite village of Cow-loon, on the mainland, con-
taining about 3000 people and a Chinese fort. I ex-
tended my visits also to some of the numerous little
islands, known by the general name of Ladrones,
given to them by the Portuguese in former times,
on account of the piratical character of the inha-
bitants.
During the period of my residence at Hong Kong
an ordinance was passed by the Legislative Council,
granting powers to the Executive to punish any Chinese
who might be proved to belong to a secret Society.
80 ORDINANCE AGAINST SECRET SOCIETIES.
A notice of the circumstances will help to afford an
insight into the social character and condition of the
motley population now gathered under the wing of
British law in Hong Kong. In China there are
several secret Societies, the members of which are
banded together for certain objects. The principal
association of this kind is the San hwui, or "Triad
Society." This is supposed primarily to have been
a political combination of the adherents of the old
Chinese dynasty, for the object of expelling the pre-
sent foreign dynasty. The members are bound by
oath to secresy and mutual assistance. A large number
are thus enrolled, especially in the southern extremity
of the empire, where the original objects of the insti-
tution have gradually given way to a general spirit of
lawlessness, plunder, and rebellion. In short, both the
members of this and similar confederations are now
composed of the most disorderly portion of the commu-
nity ; their system of oaths and bond of secresy afford-
ing full scope and opportunity tp thieves and bandits
to prosecute their evil vocations, with little danger of
detection. The recent discovery of a gang of thieves,
with their secret papers, furnished a clue to the
existence of these confederations in Hong Kong, where
the predatory character of many of the Chinese set-
tlers rendered such means of mutual connivance and
secresy a formidable barrier to the prevention or de-
tection of crime. The ordinance in question com-
mences with the following preamble, illustrative of
the character of these Societies in the view of the pro-
pounders of the ordinance :
" Whereas the ' Triad Society,' and other secret
Societies prevalent in China, exist among the inhabi-
ORIGIN OF THE TRIAD SOCIETY. 81
tants of the island of Hong Kong ; and whereas these
associations have objects in view which are incom-
patible with the maintenance of good order and con-
stituted authority, and with the security of life and
property, and afford, by means of a secret agency,
facilities for the commission of crime, and for the
escape of offenders :
" Be it therefore enacted," &c. &c.
The penalties specified are, imprisonment for three
years, branding on the right cheek, and banishment
from the island. It is feared that a large proportion
of the Chinese population of Hong Kong are members
of one or more of these associations, which, in some
respects, resemble the nature of benefit-clubs, in addi-
tion to their censurable objects.
These confederations, and especially the " Triad
Society," have always been an occasion of alarm to
the reigning government of China; and persons con-
victed of membership have been visited with most
severe punishment, as furnishing a nucleus to the
more lawless and rebellious elements of society, and
enabling notorious criminals to defeat the power of
justice and authority. The many proclamations from
the local government of Canton, of the same date,
proved the anxiety and trouble which they occasion
to the Chinese Government.
The origin and history of the " Triad Society " are
confessedly involved in much mystery and uncertainty.
The existence of such societies is an instance of the
anomalous combination of the elements of weakness
and strength in the Government, and exerts a consi-
derable influence on the rulers, in the absence of
popular representation ; so that, in many parts of
G
82 THE CHINESE PORTION OF THE TOWN.
the Empire, the Chinese democracy is beginning to
assume a formidable aspect.
Before leaving Hong Kong, I accompanied a Mis-
sionary friend, on several occasions, to the Chinese por-
tion of the town, walking through the native bazaar
and the back streets bordering on the beach, where
we distributed tracts in some houses among the few
persons capable of reading them. In several houses
we witnessed the apparatus for opium-smoking, but
saw no one in the act of smoking till we came to the
house of a wealthy Chinese, named A-quei. He pos-
sesses about fifty houses in the bazaar, and lives on
the rent, in a style much above the generality of Chi-
nese settlers, who are commonly composed of the re-
fuse of the population of the neighbouring mainland.
During the war, A-quei acted as purveyor of provi-
sions to the British armament, and acquired some
wealth. After the peace, he was at first afraid to
return to the mainland, lest he should be seized as a
traitor by the Mandarins. In the end he settled at
Hong Kong, where he is said to encourage disre-
putable characters by the loan of money, and in
various ways to reap the proceeds of profligacy and
crime. He introduced us to a partner, named A-tai,
whom we saw in the process of smoking opium, in-
haling the smoke through the mouth and emitting it
through the nose. The thick fluid of prepared opium
being held for a few moments over a flame, till it be-
came more solid, was placed in the bowl of the pipe,
which was held over a small glass lamp, burning for
the purpose ; and the smoker, stretched on a kind of
couch with a head-pillow, gently reposed himself, in
order to enjoy the exciting effects of the fumes. A-tai
THE OPIUM-MONOPOLY. 83
had just purchased, as the highest bidder, from
Government, the exclusive right of selling opium by
retail, in any quantity less than a chest, in Hong
Kong. For this he said that he had agreed to pay
550 dollars a month. He intended to institute an
office, from which he could sell licenses to individual
opium-house keepers to retail the drug ; and out of
these licenses he hoped to make his profits, after
paying the 550 dollars monthly to the British Go-
vernment. Some flaw was, however, subsequently
detected in the terms of the agreement ; and after
passing through various hands, the monopoly was
finally purchased by A-quei himself. Reference will
be made hereafter to the extortion, and general detri-
ment to the interests of the colony, which the system
of management pursued by A-quei speedily tended
to create. The tracts against opium, which my
companion distributed, might have provoked well-
merited censure on our national inconsistency. A-quei
conducted us into a room, where he was sitting with
his two wives, handsomely attired, looking from a
window on the crowd assembled in the street to
witness the performances of a native juggler. The
latter, after haranguing the crowd with much anima-
tion in the Nanking dialect (as is usual with actors),
proceeded to one part of the crowd, and took thence
a child, apparently five or six years old, who, with
struggling reluctance, was led into the centre of the
circle. The man then, with impassioned gestures,
violently threw the child on a wooden stool, and,
placing him on his back, flourished over him a
large knife ; the child all the time sobbing and crying,
as if from fright. Two or three older men from the
84 A NATIVE JUGGLER.
crowd approached with earnest remonstrances against
the threatened deed of violence. For a time he de-
sisted ; but soon after returning to the child, who was
still uttering most pitiable cries, he placed him with
his back upwards, and, notwithstanding the violent
protests of the seniors, he suddenly dashed the knife
into the back of the child's neck, which it appeared to
enter till it had almost divided it from the head, the
blood meanwhile flowing copiously from the wound, and
streaming to the ground and over the hands of the man.
The struggles of the child grew more and more feeble,
and at last altogether ceased. The man then arose,
leaving the knife firmly fixed in the child's neck.
Copper cash were now thrown liberally into the
ring for the benefit of the principal actors. These
were collected by assistants, all of them viewing the
influx of the coins with great delight, and bowing
continually to the spectators, and reiterating the
words, " To seay" " Many thanks." After a time, the
man proceeded towards the corpse, pronounced a few
words, took away the knife, and called aloud to the
child. Soon there appeared the signs of returning
animation. The stiffness of death gradually relaxed,
and at last he stood up among the eager crowd, who
closed around him and bountifully rewarded him with
cash. The performance was evidently one which ex-
cited delight in the bystanders, who, by their con-
tinued shouts, showed their approbation of the acting.
CHAPTER VI.
UNSUCCESSFUL VOYAGE ALONG THE EASTERN COAST, AND
SECOND VISIT TO CANTON.
CHINESE ASSAULT ON THREE BRITISH GENTLEMEN AT CANTON
REMONSTRANCE OF BRITISH PLENIPOTENTIARY RU-
MOURED DISTURBANCES AT AMOY OPPORTUNITY OF A
PASSAGE IN A WAR-STEAMER SENT THITHER GENERAL
CHARACTER OF THE COAST SUCCESSIVE POINTS OF SHORE
ACCIDENT, AND COMPULSORY RETURN UNDER SAIL TO
HONG KONG VOYAGE TO CANTON RECENT IMPERIAL
EDICT OF TOLERATION IN FAVOUR OF CHRISTIANITY.
DURING the month of February my friend and host,
the Colonial Chaplain of Hong Kong, availed himself
of the opportunity afforded by my temporary stay to
leave his charge, on a visit to Canton. On the
morning of his departure from Canton, he took a walk,
in company with Mr. Jackson, the Vice-Consul, and
Mr. Martin, the Colonial Treasurer, around the walls
of the city. They set off for their circumambulatory
trip at daybreak, and had walked along the full
extent of the western wall, and were already passing
along the high ground on the northern side of the
city, when a company of bandit-villagers, whom they
saw assembling, quickly overtook them with spears,
swords, and other implements of violence ; and after
overpowering them easily (as resistance seemed hope-
less against their numbers), robbed them of their
watches, money, and other valuables. After this,
86 DIFFICULTIES AT CANTON.
they had not proceeded far, before another party of
robbers pounced upon them, and were commencing
to strip them of their garments, till discouraged by
others of the crowd. To complete the maltreatment,
large stones, weighing several pounds, were forcibly
rolled down from the watch-towers, by some Chinese
on the city-walls, probably soldiers, and not without
the connivance of their superiors. Our friends, how-
ever, completed their survey of the circuit of the wall.
These circumstances, joined to some recent local
negotiations between the British and American Con-
suls and the Mandarins, relative to the non-admission
of foreigners within the city, became the occasion of a
special communication with the highest native au-
thorities. A subordinate official was deputed by the
Mandarins to wait on the British Consul, at whose
residence one of the injured party held a conversation
with the aforesaid official, through an interpreter. To
all his asseverations the Chinaman replied by frequent
yawnings, and by protesting against the villany and
vice of the populace, who, he said, were not civilized
like the people in the northern ports, and whose an-
tipathy and violence against foreigners the authorities
were unable to restrain. It was hinted to him that this
might be a convenient excuse for the Chinese autho-
rities to allege, but was no good reason why British
subjects should be left exposed to bodily assault ; and
that if the Chinese Governor declared his inability to
protect British residents, it might be rendered impe-
ratively necessary to station a body of British troops
at Canton, to overawe the populace and preserve
peace.
A few days after, the Governor of Hong Kong wrote
RUMOURED DISTURBANCES AT AMOY. 87
a letter to Ke -Ying, the Chinese Imperial Commis-
sioner, couched in strong language, on the late indig-
nity to British subjects, demanding an investigation
into the matter, and a satisfactory settlement of the
long-debated question of safe entrance into the city. It
was also deemed expedient to send the "Vixen" war-
steamer to Whampoa, to make a demonstration, and
to suggest the necessity of a speedy effort to make
reparation by some specific remedy against the inso-
lence of the mob. By the obliging kindness of the
captain in command, I obtained a passage on board
the "Vixen" for Whampoa, whence I intended to
proceed in a boat to Canton, to spend a few days with
some friends, from whom sickness had removed me
rather suddenly to Macao in the last autumn.
On my coming alongside the steamer, on Monday
morning, March the 31st, the sentry on duty suggested
to me that I had better not have my luggage brought
up the ship's side, as the " Vixen " had received or-
ders not to go to Whampoa. Wishing to know the
accuracy of this information, I went on board, and
proceeded to the captain's cabin, from whom I learnt
the following particulars. On the preceding day the
unexpected intelligence had been received at Hong
Kong of some disturbances at Amoy, and the personal
insecurity of the Consul and British residents. They
had urgently requested that some ship-of-war might
be sent to protect them from the violence of the mob,
who had been encouraged to acts of pillage by the
recent evacuation of the neighbouring island of Koo-
lang-soo by the troops. The Governor, after consul-
tation with the senior captain in command at Hong
Kong, had decided, at a late hour of the preceding
88 VOYAGE ALONG THE EASTERN COAST.
evening, on altering the destination of the "Vixen"
to Amoy. The captain expressed his regret at my
disappointment, and kindly offered to give me a
passage to Amoy instead. As Amoy was one of the
ports which my instructions from the Church Missio-
nary Society had appointed me to visit, I gladly ac-
cepted the proposal ; and hastening on shore to make
the necessary preparations, I soon returned on board,
and a little past eleven in the forenoon we weighed
anchor, and rapidly steamed away out of the harbour.
The rugged precipitous shores, which on either
side form the commodious shelter for the fleets of
Britain in these her newly-acquired possessions in the
East, and which completely land-lock the harbour,
shutting out, with the hurricanes that would desolate
her shipping, the refreshing breezes which would dif-
fuse salubrity and health through the colony, were
soon seen lowering in the horizon, as we emerged
through the Limun passage into the open sea, studded
with islets, all partaking of the same rugged and deso-
late appearance. Here and there we perceived some
fisherman's hut, perched on a little headland, where
a windlass was contrived to raise or lower the spacious
nets, which, by means of moveable stakes, extended
over the adjacent waters. The view was at times
varied by little patches of ground, reclaimed from the
barren waste as burial-places ; where filial piety had
reared the peculiarly-shaped tombs of a semicircular
or trefoil form ; and where sacrificial honours were
wont to be paid to the shades of departed ancestors.
In other parts, a naked unadorned tablet of stone, in-
scribed with a few characters, told the more humble
condition of the deceased. A few native villages, with
GENERAL CHARACTER OF THE COAST. 89
fishing boats at anchor, were all the variety that marked
the successive points of coast which we passed. Sail-
ing in a south-east direction, we doubled the southern
headland of the little island of Tamtoo ; and passing
through the channel, commonly called the Ta-thong-
mun, we steered in the direction of east by north, at a
distance varying from four to sixteen miles from the
shore. Wherever the eye extended, the same mono-
tony of aspect, both on shore and on the sea, presented
itself. The land formed one succession of rocky cliffs,
with occasional flats of sand of inconsiderable extent,
where not a vestige of vegetation relieved the unin-
viting barrenness of the soil. On the wide deep, fleets
of fishing-boats, of one uniform size and appearance,
met the eye, nothing daunted by the strength of the
breeze from venturing many miles away from the
shore. Successively we passed Wochow Island, Nine
Pins Rock, and, at a greater distance, the various
creeks which indent the coast, Mirs Bay, Ty-pung
Bay, and Tysan Bay, till the setting sun left us to
pursue our track over the watery main, with no other
variety than that of some venturous fisherman over-
taken by darkness, and crossing our course in his
frail craft.
The next morning we beheld a line of coast par-
taking of the same general features as that of the
preceding day, except that the hills were less lofty
and precipitous, and seemed to retire some distance
from the shore. Especially to the east of Cap-che-
san, we perceived a marked alteration in the ap-
pearance of the land bordering close on the sea. A
flat country, more or less extended, seemed to inter-
vene between the beach and the hills rising dimly in
90 ACCIDENT TO THE STEAMER.
the distance ; while an immense sand stretched along
the shore, and received the dashing surge. The thou-
sands of boats, which studded the sea for many miles,
here began to partake of a different form, the sails
being square, instead of the oblique sails further
south. The men also generally wore the dark tur-
ban, which marked them as belonging to the hardy
and enterprising race of the Fokeen province. Some
of them, however, were diligently plying their oars,
destitute of clothing of every kind. We had passed
Breakers' Point and Ma-urh Point, and were already
near the Lamocks, and within sight of Namoa Island
in the distance 'the extreme north-east boundary of
the Canton province, where it joins to Fokeen when
I felt an unusual sensation, which led me from my
cabin to the deck, where I found the officers and crew
assembled, and I received the disappointing intel-
ligence that an accident had happened to the ma-
chinery. The engine was completely disabled, and
our only alternative was to change our course to the
south-west, and to sail under canvas before the wind,
which was blowing strong, on our return to Hong
Kong. Although within ninety miles of Amoy, we
endeavoured to make the best of our disappointment,
and pleasantly sailed along with a favourable breeze,
returning by precisely the same course. During the
next night another casualty befel us. A poor native
fishing crew, probably asleep in their boat, were run
down by our vessel with such force as to carry away
her masts and sails. Immediately after their disaster
they began to blow a horn, to beat gongs, and to
burn flakes of idol-paper, which they scattered abroad
to propitiate the divinities of the deep. As one or
RETURN TO HONG KONG. 91
two other boats were close by, ready to render assis-
tance to the sinking boat, and to save the crew, we
pursued our course with the damage of our jib-boom,
which was broken asunder by the violence of the con-
cussion, and our starboard paddle-wheel injured by the
fishing-nets becoming entangled with it. At noon, on
Wednesday, April 2d, after about forty-eight hours'
absence, we slowly sailed into harbour, and came to
anchor off the town. I returned from our cruise of
400 miles, greatly invigorated by the trip. My friends
were surprised to see me so soon after my departure,
till an explanation removed the whole mystery. In
the meantime, intelligence had reached Hong Kong
that the alarm at Amoy had been premature, and
the disturbances only temporary ; and thus no in-
convenience or danger was likely to ensue from our
having returned to Hong Kong. The "Medusa"
war-steamer was at Amoy, and tranquillity had been
restored.
The next day, April 3d, I carried out my former plan
of visiting Canton, and accordingly set out in the even-
ing in a passage-boat, with two Europeans and some
Lascars as fellow-passengers. We arrived at Whampoa
the next afternoon, where our Chinese steersman got
into trouble. As he approached the ship, on board of
which he was to discharge the Lascar passengers, he
steered the boat so near that our mast carried away a
spar from the ship's rigging, which came down about
our heads, to our personal jeopardy. The consequence
was, that the head man of our crew was made a prisoner,
and safely lodged on board the ship till he should
make good the damage. Long and impassioned argu-
ments passed between the several members of our
92 VISIT TO CANTON.
crew and the English captain. At last the matter was
so far compromised as to enable us, after half-an-
hour's detention, to proceed on our voyage, by the
captain taking the board inscribed with the boat's
number and license, which he held as security for
payment of the estimated cost of repair. This mis-
hap cast a damp on the spirits of the crew, which,
however, was slightly dissipated by the intimation that
some of us intended to give them a small sum towards
their loss. Our servants during the voyage engaged
in gambling with such eagerness, that it was only by
a resolute severity of tone that we could get the
slightest attention paid to our wants. The latter part
of the voyage was tedious, but the scenery about sun-
set was very pleasing. We slowly passed along the
thousands of boats and junks which lay in the crowded
river, and at 9 P.M. came to anchor off the foreign
factories at Canton.
The first intelligence I received at Canton, bearing
on the Missionary work, was a rumoured edict of tole-
ration of the Christian religion by the Imperial Go-
vernment. Application had been made to Powtinqua
to ascertain the truth of this report. He returned an
evasive reply, and affected to be ignorant of any
ground for such a rumour, except the known intention
of the Emperor no longer to enforce the old penal
laws against the professors of "the religion of the
Lord of Heaven," the term employed by the Jesuits in
former times to designate the Christian religion.
Very soon after my arrival in Canton, however,
more definite information on the subject was obtained
by the transmission, from some Missionaries at Shang-
hai, of a translation of a public Chinese document,
IMPERIAL EDICT OF RELIGIOUS TOLERATION. 93
which had been issued by the authorities in those
parts. It was in the form of a memorial of Ke-Ying
to the imperial throne, petitioning for the full tolera-
tion of Catholic converts, and containing, also, the
rescript of the vermilion pencil, granting the subject
of the memorial. A translation is here subjoined of
this important document, which, in some parts, will
perhaps remind the reader of the celebrated epistle of
the younger Pliny to his imperial master, Trajan.
Scarcely 200 years had elapsed after Pliny's letter
before the banners of the cross waved from the turrets
of the imperial city. May a similar result follow in
China !
" Ke-Ying, High Imperial Commissioner, and Governor-
General of the ' Two Kwang,' respectfully addresses the throne
for the purpose of presenting a memorial. He finds, on exa-
mination, that the religion of the ' Lord of Heaven ' is that
which all the Western nations adore and receive ; that its object
is principally to admonish to good, and to condemn evil ; that
therefore, from the time when it was introduced into China
during the previous Ming dynasty, it had hitherto not been
prohibited ; that subsequently, because some of those who
practised the religion took advantage of that religion to do
wickedly, even to the seducing and defiling of men's wives and
daughters, and the using a cheat to take out the pupils of sick
men's eyes, the Government did then search out and punish
them, of which there is record ; that in the reign of Kea-king
a special clause was for the first time laid down, separately pro-
viding for the punishment thereof; and that, therefore, the
prohibition was originally directed against those Chinese who
made a pretext of the religion to do evil, but it was by no
means directed at that religion worshipped and received by all the
Western nations. Now the request of the French Commissioner,
La Grene, regarding the point, that those Chinese who practise
this religion, and do well, be exempted from criminality, seems
94 COPY OF THE EDICT.
as if it could be carried into effect. He must therefore request
that, as regards all who hereafter learn and practise the religion
of the Lord of Heaven, no matter whether they be Central or
Outside people, and who do not cause disturbances or do
wickedly, he may respectfully crave the celestial favour, per-
mitting to and conferring on them an exemption from crimi-
nality ; and should there be any seducing or defiling of men's
wives and daughters, or using of craft to take out the pupils of
sick men's eyes, or any other crimes otherwise offending the
laws, they shall, as before, be punished according to the esta-
blished laws. With respect to those individuals of the French
and all other Western nations who practise the religion, let them
accordingly be permitted to build halls for worship at the five
ports of commercial intercourse, and they must not presume to
enter into the interior to disseminate that religion. Should
they act in opposition to, or turn their backs upon, the treaties,
overstep the boundaries, and act irregularly, the local officers
will, as soon as they seize them, forthwith send them to the
Consuls of the several nations to restrain and punish them ; but
death must not be inflicted on the spot, in order to evince a
cherishing and kind disposition. Thus, peradventure, the good
and the vile will not be intermixed, and the laws of kindness
will manifest their equitable course. This request regarding
those who practise the religion and do well being exempted
from punishment, it is his duty to present to the throne in a
respectful memorial, and he humbly craves his Imperial Ma-
jesty graciously to assent and grant that it may be carried into
effect. A respectful memorial."
CHAPTER VII.
REAL EXTENT OF MISSIONARY OPENINGS AT CANTON.
PROJECTED MISSIONARY SERVICES AT THE " NINGPO EX-
CHANGE " ALARM OF THE SUPERINTENDING OFFICERS
FRIENDLINESS OF THE BETTER CLASSES DEFECTIVE COU-
RAGE OF NATIVE PREACHERS RIOTOUS INTERRUPTION OF
A RELIGIOUS SERVICE BY A CHINESE MOB DISTRIBUTION
OF TRACTS INVITATION BY A PETTY MANDARIN TO ACCOM-
PANY HIM INTO THE CITY HIS SUBSEQUENT FRIGHT AT
THE PROPOSAL BEING ACCEDED TO INEFFECTUAL AT-
TEMPTS TO ENTER THE CITY-GATE.
APRIL 5th On the day after my arrival at Canton
I visited two American Missionaries, who had lately
removed their Missionary establishment from Hong
Kong, on account of the disadvantages which, after
due experience, they found to attach to that pecu-
liar station, and had transferred the scene of their
operations to Canton, in the hope of finding a fairer
scope for their exertion. Many of their friends re-
gretted and censured this step. They now resided
in a hong close to the foreign factories, expecting,
at no distant period, to effect a removal more into
the heart of the Chinese population. As they had
only arrived two days previously, their plans were
not yet matured. They had, however, at least
planned their operations for the following day, the
Sabbath, on a bold and commendable scale. At half-
96 THE NINGPO EXCHANGE.
past ten o'clock A.M. they were to hold a religious
service, and to address the Chinese at a large hall,
called the " Ningpo Exchange," the rendezvous of the
native merchants from Ningpo, assisted by the native
preachers, Yong and Mun. At the same hour, Wong,
Lei, and Hong, were to hold a similar assemblage at
the "Chinchew Exchange," a few streets further off;
while Luh, Yow, and Tat, were also to attend, for the
same purpose, at a place called the Shong-kow-poo.
My two friends accompanied me on a walk into the
neighbouring streets, more especially directing our
visit to the scene of their intended Missionary work
on the next day. The Ningpo Exchange was the best
native building that I had yet seen in Canton, and
had a rather extended range of halls and spacious
rooms, on which there had evidently been, in past
times, a considerable outlay of expense ; as its elabo-
rately-carved pillars, its richly-gilt inscriptions, the
beauty and size of the idols, and the substantial and
elegant nature of the ornaments and furniture gene-
rally, served to indicate. We made a personal survey
of the different rooms, my companions at intervals
giving utterance to the thoughts passing through their
minds, and the desires uppermost in their hearts.
As we wandered from place to place, through the
numerous courts and halls, a knot of about half-a-
dozen officers or attendants of the institution gathered
around us, and received some of the Christian tracts,
which were placed in different parts of the building.
One of my friends soon entered into conversation,
explaining the nature of the doctrines, the object of
our errand, and the proposed services for the next
day. This last topic gave rise to a lengthened dis-
ALARM OF THE SUPERINTENDING OFFICERS. 97
cussion, during which it became apparent that they
had been somewhat sanguine and premature in con-
cluding that, in their previous visits, they had secured
definite and explicit permission of the use of the
building for the purposes contemplated by them.
The Chinese demurred to the proposal, declaring that
they were only stewards, and not the proprietors ; that
the building was not designed for such objects ; and,
in short, giving plain proof of the fear they entertained
of being embroiled in some difficulty by connexion
with foreigners. One of my companions endeavoured
to allay their fears, and to prove the excellence of
Christian doctrines, and the disinterestedness of his
motives. My boy Afat joined with much earnestness
in the debate, and addressed several remarks to his
countrymen, explanatory of the objects and customs
of foreigners. Leaving this little assemblage to rumi-
nate on the words addressed to them, we retired to
a higher room overlooking the court below, where we
sat down to recruit our strength, and to discuss
the prospects of the next day. While the Chinese
below were engaged in discussing the strange pro-
ceedings of the foreigners, we tried to excite our
spirits to thankful adoration of the Triune God for
our own participations in the blessings of the
Gospel. We left amid the polite attentions of
our new acquaintances, and directed our steps to a
neighbouring street, occasionally distributing tracts,
wherever we had reason to hope that they would re-
ceive an attentive perusal. In one shop we remained
for some time with the inmates, who evinced much
interest in the books. The owner of the shop was an
aged man, who seemed, in his advanced state of life,
H
98 CONVERSATION WITH A SHOPKEEPER.
to have relinquished the care and management of his
affairs to his nephew, a middle-aged man of pleasing
manners and intelligence. The latter made many in-
quiries, and listened with attention, as the principal
doctrines of Christianity were explained to him. He
said he had not heard for ten thousand years such
wonderful doctrines. When the fall of man, and the
necessity of repentance and a new heart, were insisted
on, he eagerly inquired whether to have an idol-altar
was a sin. In reply, he was informed that God
had forbidden idolatry, and willed that those who
worship Him should worship Him in spirit and
in truth. He pointed to a little recess in a room
above, where he could retire to pray alone. His
heart (he said) wished to believe, but could not fully
comprehend the doctrines. In the course of the sub-
sequent dialogue, he said he had a son and a daughter;
whereupon he was reminded that, according to Chinese
principles, this was held to be a rich portion of
blessedness. To this he assented with hesitation,
saying that he had not much money. He was re-
minded that the favour of God and the knowledge of
truth were a better possession than money. To the
application to himself of the truth of the universality
of human depravity, he objected strongly, affirming
that he had a good heart. After some further con-
versation on the wickedness of sinful desires, and an
acknowledgment of his having never repented of idol-
worship, he at last confessed that his heart was a
little wicked. The old uncle, some time before, had
taken umbrage at a reference to himself, and removed
to the other end of the apartment. He seemed, how-
ever, to regain his composure, as at our departure he
HIS QUESTIONS. 99
patiently listened to some advice personally addressed
to him, admonishing him of his grey hairs, and bade
us a friendly farewell. The nephew alluded to some
previous conversation with a medical Missionary in
Canton. On this occasion, when one of my friends stated
the objects for which we came to China as Missionaries,
he quickly remarked, that we must have a good deal
of money to enable us to leave our native land and
come to so distant a country. He was informed that
we were not rich men, but had come thither in obe-
dience to the command of our Lord, Go, and teach all
nations. Here Afat again became eloquent in his
apology for Missionaries, and explanation of their
errand ; saying that they did not come to get money,
but to teach the Chinese tf ancient doctrine." The
nephew again inquired whether we were Americans or
English. He was told that two of our number were
Americans, and the third an Englishman ; but that,
though belonging to different countries, we were
closely united to each other by Christian fellowship.
He assented, with the remark that " discipleship
makes all nations one." We left him with an invita-
tion to attend the service at the Ningpo Exchange
on the next day, and to call at my friends' house,
whenever interest or curiosity might prompt him.
These attempts of my two friends were preparatory
only to carrying out their plan of hiring a house, as a
Mission Chapel and residence, in some distant part of
the suburbs, where they hoped to pursue a bold and
systematic course of action, and to hold religious
meetings every evening, both outside and inside the
city, by means of their native preachers. The result
of such an experiment was awaited with interest" by
H2
100 OBSTACLES TO HOLDING PUBLIC- SERVICES.
the friends of the Missionary work, though there
were not wanting those who foretold danger from the
attempt. In particular, the Missionary brother, with
whom I was staying, expressed great apprehensions
of the consequences, saying that he had positive
knowledge of the anxious suspicions of the autho-
rities, and the dangerous malignity of the mob. He
predicted a disturbance as sure to result from the
attempt, and a probable hindrance and shock to the
Missionary work generally, which it might cost many
years of cautious action to remove.
The sequel proved that both the sanguine hopes
of the one party, and the cautious timidity of the
other, were somewhat excessive. While visits might
be made to any part of the suburbs by a Missionary
able to speak with the people in their own tongue ;
while conversation with them might be carried
on at their own houses without restraint ; while
tracts might be distributed from house to house, and
their contents explained ; yet it was found that no
public service of any kind could be undertaken, except
at the Missionaries' own residence among the foreign
factories, and consequently at a distance from the Chi-
nese population. Individual Chinese were willing to
come to the Missionaries for private conversation, and
a few also to attend the newly-instituted services.
But at the Ningpo Exchange and the other public
localities to which allusion has been made, no public
service could be held, beyond an irregular dialogue
with about twenty or thirty persons, who might
gather round the Missionary and propose questions.
The native preachers also showed great cowardice on
finding that Missionary topics were unpopular among
TUKBULENCE OF THE POPULACE. 101
the people, as savouring of intercourse with foreigners.
Being men generally of limited education, and very
little knowledge and zeal, they became easily fright-
ened, and only ventured to give away a few tracts. As
to their labours within the city, there was only their
own account to receive, no foreigner being permitted
to enter. Some time later, a house, after many
obstacles, arising from the hesitation of the landlord,
was rented by the two Missionaries, and was in course
of preparation for a Chapel and residence, being
situated at some distance from the foreign factories.
The people of the neighbourhood soon, however, raised
an outcry at the prospect of a " foreign demon "
coming to reside amongst them, in defiance of Chinese
custom ; and so serious was the disturbance, as to
render the interference of the American Consul ne-
cessary. At the period of one year afterwards, the
Missionaries were still residing and carrying on their
operations on a small scale among the foreign hongs.
An English Missionary, also, who made the same laud-
able attempt, met with the same serious difficulties.
The Chinese mob broke into the house, which he
had fitted up as a Chapel in the eastern suburbs,
while Leang Afa was preaching, and raised a riot,
breaking benches and stools, and throwing Afa into
great alarm.
A more detailed notice has been given of these
proceedings, as showing the real nature and amount
of facilities for public Missionary operations at Canton.
At the present time they are reduced, by the arrogant
lawlessness of the populace, within small limits. But,
on the other hand, a boundless field lies before the
Missionary labourer for preachin the Gospel from
102 DISTRIBUTION OF TRACTS.
house to house, amid a population, of whom the
better classes are intelligent, friendly, and inquiring ;
and from among whom individuals may be led, by a
discreet and respectful demeanour, to make private
visits to the abode of Missionaries. In no part of
the world are politeness of manner, and an attention
to the little refinements and delicate sensibilities of
civilized life, on the part of Missionaries, more neces-
sary to secure the disposition of the people towards
the all-important message which they bring.
How far these conclusions are authorized by facts
of daily occurrence the reader will have his own
opportunities of judging, in the following journal of
my intercourse with the people in the suburbs and
in the Missionary Hospital.
April 1th Early this morning I set out on a visit
to the streets contiguous to the western wall of the
city, accompanied by my boy Afat, who carried some
books for me in a handkerchief, and acted as inter-
preter in any difficulty which arose. Having pur-
chased a map of the city and suburbs, depicted on
a fan, I was enabled to lead the way with tolerable
accuracy into the desired quarter. Afat showed many
signs of timidity before he set out with me, saying
that if he carried the books he should be apprehended
by the Mandarins, and forfeit his queue, which, in the
eye of a Chinaman, is tantamount to outlawry. Having
reason to suspect his indolence rather than his fears,
I was unwilling to lose his services. He followed me
at a little distance, and assisted me in purchasing
some articles that I needed. In a few shops which I
visited, I distributed some of the books, reserving the
greater part of them to be disposed of at a greater
SEIZURE OF BOOKS BY A CROWD. 103
distance from the residence of foreigners, where Chris-
tian publications were less likely to be known. De-
sirous of relieving Afat from embarrassment, I took
some tracts from him to carry myself, so as not to have
recourse to him in any public spot. One or two Chi-
nese approached me with an earnest request to ob-
tain a book, which I accordingly gave. This attracted
others ; and no sooner did I inadvertently turn to my
boy to take from his bundle two or three tracts, than
a crowd of outstretched hands was soon gathered
around us, and the clamour and assemblage became
so great, that the way was literally blocked up. With
much difficulty I extricated myself from the rapidly-
increasing throng, deeming it prudent to turn back
and directing Afat to that effect, whom, as I passed,
I beheld squeezed to the wall by the mass of eager
applicants, and indicating by a flood of tears his sense
of danger. The seventy tracts of large size which I
had selected for the day's distribution were thus un-
expectedly taken by force ; and it was to his no small
comfort that I intimated to Afat, amid his unequivocal
expressions of thankfulness, that I would not again
make a similar request for his services as book-carrier.
Though only sixteen years of age, he is a sensible lad,
and his sympathies are evidently enlisted in favour
of Missionaries. He acknowledges the folly of ido-
latry, and that, too, in no very dubious terms. And
yet, though intellectually convinced of the superiority
of the Christian religion, the apathetic indifference to
every thing but secular interests, so prevalent among
the Chinese, disposes him, like many other youths
who have been brought within the influence of the
Missionaries, to pursue the beaten track of popular
104 INVITATION BY A MANDAEIN.
error, in preference to the invidious appearance of
abandoning the customs of their ancestors.
Returning to the Missionary Hospital, I was present
at the admission of new patients, which usually takes
place on this day of the week (Monday). It afforded
me pleasure to find that a more decidedly Missionary
character had been given to the Institution since my
last visit to Canton in the preceding year. A number
of Christian books were placed on a table, from which
the patients were invited to help themselves. It was
gratifying to perceive, even in the absence of higher
motives, the curiosity which prompted the majority to
take the books, and retire to different parts of the room
to read in quietude. A Christian Almanack in Chi-
nese, combining, with an exhibition of evangelical doc-
trine, a general view of the statistics, sciences, geogra-
phy, and power of Western nations, was very accepta-
ble to them. Among other acquaintances which I here
formed, was that of an officer in the employ of the
Kwang-chow-foo, a native of Chin-keang-foo, in
Keangsoo province, a city situated west of Nanking,
and the last place taken by assault by the British army.
He appeared to be a man of intelligence, and commu-
nicated to me the relative geographical position of the
principal cities in those parts, which I found to accord
very accurately with my own map. On my hinting to
him the pleasure I should feel in accompanying him
from the hospital on his return into the city, he
assented to the plan, and even pressed me to give him
the honour of my company to his own house. This I
regarded, in the first instance, as Chinese politeness,
and could hardly induce myself to give him credit
for sincerity. As, however, he was a northern man,
HIS SUBSEQUENT FEARS. 105
and might therefore, in a measure, be free from
the strong anti-European feeling of the south ;
and as he was, moreover, about to depart in two
days on his return to his native city, Dr. Parker
agreed with me in the conclusion that he possibly
might be sincere, and pressed me not to lose the
opportunity of entering the city with such a protector.
When the officer was about to leave the hospital, he
again politely reminded me of the proposed visit with
him, and inquired if I were willing to carry it into
execution. We had already taken steps to secure a
sedan-chair with bearers, in which it was arranged
that I should follow him into the city. But when the
plan was actually on the point of being put into prac-
tice, he suddenly became alarmed, asking if I really
meant to enter the city, and deprecating my placing
him in the awkward and difficult position of being the
first Chinese to conduct a foreigner within the walls.
We appealed to the fairness of a foreigner entering
the city, and to the absurdity of the prohibition ; to
which he assented, but said that such had been the
ancient custom, and that he could not dare to face the
danger of a tumult. The Chinese connected with the
hospital all agreed as to the reasonableness of free
entrance, but asserted, with much earnestness, the
certainty of its giving rise to a disturbance. Thus
the matter ended, the Chinaman, amid evident confu-
sion, stammering forth his apologies, and, after polite
bowings, making his exit to his sedan.
In the evening I took a walk with Dr. Parker in the
same direction as in the morning, extending our visit
to the Tai-ping-mun, or "Gate of Universal Peace/'
than which name nothing could be less emblematic
106 INEFFECTUAL ATTEMPTS TO ENTER THE CITY-GATE.
of the real character of the neighbouring populace.
We were the object of increasing curiosity as we
approached nearer to this spot unfrequented by
foreigners. But as we advanced under the ancient
gateway, and showed, by our unchecked pace, that we
were for moving onward within the forbidden pre-
cincts of the city, the looks of displeasure, which were
darted toward us by the crowd, were soon exchanged
for shouts and gestures, which told us that we should
not be tolerated in such an act of sacrilege. Two
or three low fellows placed themselves close to Dr.
Parker, who went first, and, making angry demonstra-
tions of resistance, shouted to him to stop. We re-
mained under the gateway for about five minutes, the
storm of popular wrath growing darker, and the assem-
blage rapidly increasing, till we deemed it prudent,
after surveying the remarkable old building which
forms the gateway, to turn down a narrow street bor-
dering on the outside of the city-wall, which furnished
us with many objects of curiosity, and at length con-
ducted us, at the distance of about a mile, to the
foreign factories.
On a subsequent occasion I passed the Tai-ping-
mun alone ; and, wishing again to test the possibility
of entering the city, walked on under the gateway, the
Chinese shouting to me from either side, of which
I took no notice. When I had reached the inner
side of the arched gateway, a Chinese officer, whom
I conjectured, from his ability to speak both the Man-
darin dialect and English, to be a spy of the Man-
darins, stationed to prevent the entrance of foreigners,
approached me with a request not to proceed. As
I appeared to hesitate about desisting, he put his
RUMOURED PROCLAMATION. 107
band on my shoulder, and, with a good-humoured
smile, begged me to return. I asked him why I
might not proceed, as I was a friend. He still per-
severed in requesting me to turn back, showing, how-
ever, amid all his polite remonstrances, that his secret
instructions were on no account to permit a foreigner
to enter, and that physical resistance would be em-
ployed, if necessary, as a last resource. He seemed
very anxious to get me clear out of the way, speaking
of a Mandarin-station inside the wall, which I should
not be allowed to pass. My ultimate compliance
seemed to relieve his mind, and I took my departure,
after giving him a selection of tracts, which he re-
ceived with a polite acknowledgment. The crowd,
which had been gathering, soon relaxed their scowling
looks as they saw me turn down the little by-street in
the suburb.
The British Consul afterwards informed me that the
Chinese authorities had recently promised to issue a
proclamation, granting free entrance into the city, and
threatening to punish any Chinese who should ill-treat
a foreigner in the attempt to enter. During the
period of this visit to Canton, I ascertained that no
such proclamation had made its appearance ; and
that the matter was likely to continue a fruitful source
of diplomatic altercation.
CHAPTER VIII.
FURTHER INCIDENTS AT CANTON.
VISIT TO YUN-TANG, A CHINESE GENTLEMAN INTEREST OF
CHINESE IN THE ARTS, INVENTIONS, AND ASTRONOMY OF THE
WEST CURIOSITY OF A PRIEST NATIVE TREATISE ON
ASTRONOMY CHINESE INGENUITY, AND IGNORANCE OF PHY-
SICAL SCIENCES EXECUTION-GROUND "TEMPLE OF LON-
GEVITY" POWTINQUA'S GARDENS HOWQUA'S SUBURBAN
DWELLING NEGLECTED EDUCATION OF FEMALES IN CHINA
ANNUAL PROCESSION IN HONOUR OF THE IDOL SHING-KEA
GENERAL REVIEW OF MISSIONARY FACILITIES AT CANTON.
APRIL 8th I walked about a mile through the
suburbs, in a western direction, to a street called the
Shap-pat-poo, to call on a Chinese gentleman named
Yun-tang, the brother-in-law ofPowtinqua, and the
sixth son of Le, a salt-inspector of some celebrity
and repute. His linguist was careful to inform
me, with due accuracy, of his master's pedigree
and importance at the Missionary Hospital on the
previous day, where Yun-tang gave me his card
and address, with the invitation to visit him. On
entering his house, I was conducted through three or
four courts and ante-rooms to an apartment of spacious
dimensions, which looked into a garden containing a
little forest of shrubs and flowers, placed in rows,
rising gradually one above another on little platforms.
VISIT TO A CHINESE GENTLEMAN. 109
After the first ceremonials of etiquette were over, tea
and fruit were brought, with which we paid the usual
compliments. About twenty domestics stood in the
outer rooms, eagerly listening and gazing on me with
evident curiosity, as their master, the linguist, and
myself were engaged together. Our anticipated con-
versation on the affairs of Outward nations soon com-
menced, by Yun-tang's inquiring whether I could
furnish him with a diagram and explanation of the
manner in which foreigners could weave and manu-
facture cloth by steam-machinery ; and whether I had
ever seen such a wonderful contrivance. I then pro-
ceeded to dwell at some length on the multitude of
purposes to which the steam-engine could be applied ;
and took the opportunity of alluding to the great loss
which the Chinese nation experienced in their isolation
from foreign countries, especially intimating that per-
fect friendship and cordiality could not exist till the
foreigner should be allowed to walk at large in all
parts of the city, and the way be opened for a reci-
procal interchange of kind offices. The observation I
made of the willingness of foreigners to come and teach
them the arts and learning of Western nations drew
forth the remark from him, that an American at Macao
had already received instructions to build a steam-
ship for the Chinese, and that its arrival at Canton
was shortly expected. Yun-tang then went to the end
of the room, and brought two volumes of a najtive work
on astronomy, abounding with diagrams and maps of
the stars, which he presented to me. He requested
me to examine them, and to ascertain whether they
were correct and agreed with our astronomical sy-
stem ; saying, that if I would be kind enough to send
110 INTEREST OF CHINESE IN EUROPEAN SCIENCE.
or bring to him some book containing our system of
the stars, he should feel himself under great obliga-
tions, delicately hinting at the presents with which he
would reward me. I promised to make an endeavour
to comply with his wishes, and proceeded to illustrate
the degree of perfection to which European science had
advanced, by the accuracy with which our navigators,
after sailing over ten thousand miles of ocean without
seeing land, could ascertain the ship's position. He
asked the name of the instrument to which I alluded,
and subsequently inquired the price of a quadrant.
He also mentioned that Mr. Morrison had, in former
times, shown him the motion of the solar system, the
globular form of the earth, and the remarkable
fact that the people on the under side did not
fall off.
The statement of the objects of my Mission to
China, and my proposed visit to the other consular
ports, formed our next topic of conversation ; during
which I tried to explain the motives and sanctions of the
Gospel, the universal holiness and peace which it incul-
cates, and the perfect happiness which it is designed to
convey. The linguist here engaged in a long dialogue
with Yun-tang, explaining that my objects were not
mercantile. Afterwards he asked me whether I had
not come to China in the same capacity as Dr. Mor-
rison or Dr. Parker. The inquiry whether Yun-tang
would receive, in return for his present of books, some
pamphlets on the religion of foreigners, met with a
ready acquiescence. He surveyed them for two or
three minutes, and then eagerly inquired whether
any part of the books treated of astronomy ; and
on my replying in the negative, evinced some disap-
CURIOSITY OF A PRIEST. Ill
pointment, till I informed him they were exclusively
on religious subjects, and that I would send him also
a work on the stars, which explanation seemed satis-
factory, and he retained the books. The linguist, who
spoke English better than the ordinary class of native
interpreters, and in a style far removed above that
absurd jargon denominated the Canton-English, fre-
quently invited me to repeat my visit whenever I
could spare time. I once rose to take my departure,
but at their urgent request resumed my seat for a
little while longer ; and at length left them, amid an
unsparing display of external etiquette, which could
not entirely dissipate the regret I felt at discovering
in their conversation, when the linguist explained
my remarks, that the iermfan quei (foreign demon)
was once applied to me amid this outward show of
respect. This, together with several similar instances,
has led me to suspect that the force of habit, in the
use of this opprobrious epithet, has almost deprived
it of its literal offensiveness.
On my return I met a priest from the large Budhist
Monastery in Honan, who, seeing the two volumes
presented to me by Yun-tang, requested me to give
him one of them, thinking they were on the foreigners'
religion. He was not satisfied, till I had allowed him
to read the title-page of the books, that they were not
a foreign production ; and with evident marks of
pleasure he observed me put my hand into my pocket,
and take thence three books similar to those which
I had given to Yun-tang. I gave them to him, with a
request that he would also allow his friends to read
them, which he promised to do.
On my return to Dr. Parker's house, I examined,
112 CHINESE INGENUITY.
with his assistance, the native books on astronomy,
and found that they bore strong internal evidence
of the European principles introduced in the
seventeenth century by the Jesuit Missionaries. The
diagrams, explaining the signs of the zodiac, the eclip-
tic, the division into zones, and 180 degrees of latitude
between each pole, proved the fact of their having
been written with the borrowed aid of foreigners.
The diagrams, explaining on meteorological princi-
ples the cause of rain, appeared to be of more apocry-
phal origin. Although mixed up with much of the
absurdities of the Chinese principles of creation, Yin
and Yang, the astronomy was generally correct as far
as it went, and contained the first principles of Euro-
pean science diluted through the work.
We were afterwards engaged in listening to a native
teacher, deeply versed in Chinese literature, as he
explained to us the various little Chinese articles of
curious device and ingenious manufacture submitted
to him. These consisted of magnets differently
adapted to the purposes of a mariner's compass, a
sun-dial, and a moon-dial, separately and in combina-
tion. They were inscribed with tables and diagrams,
containing directions for arranging the dials and mag-
nets for each purpose. I subsequently became pos-
sessed of a specimen of their instruments, which, in
the delicacy and beauty of its construction, and the in-
genuity displayed in its adaptation to every-day use,
would be well worthy a nation more advanced in civili-
zation. In appearance it was a flat piece of ivory,
small enough to be carried in the waistcoat pocket,
and adorned with beautifully illuminated characters
directing the mode of use. On one side, a round dial,
SUN-DIALS AND MOON-DIALS. 113
inscribed with the horary characters, and having a
gnomon in the centre, is elevated to receive the sun's
shadow. The elevation is produced by little hinges
from the principal piece of ivory, and is regulated ac-
cording to the degree of the sun's declination at the
different seasons, by means of a small pin inserted
into different holes below. A needle, delicately
balanced, shows the requisite position of the time-
piece for meeting the sun's rays. The same dial is
inscribed with the hours of the night, as well as of
the day ; and, by means of its circular movement on a
central pivot, it is speedily arranged so as to become
a moon-dial, a projecting index being brought to
meet the figures marked on another circle outside,
which answer to the age of the moon. Possessed of
such an instrument, a person might pursue his track
over the untrodden desert, and also might obtain,
with tolerable accuracy, the hour by day, and gene-
rally by night. The ingenuity of the Chinese, in
turning to the best account their limited knowledge
of the physical sciences, is very remarkable, and
excites a feeling of wonder, that, with such ready
powers of applying it to every- day life, they never-
theless have remained so long stationary in know-
ledge ; especially when it is remembered that some
of the most important of modern discoveries, which
have effected such social changes in the West, were
known many ages previously among the Chinese.
The teacher, in reply to my question, hastily asserted
that the knowledge of the magnet existed in China
5000 years ago. On my further inquiry, he stated
the discovery to have been cotemporaneous with the
Chow dynasty ; i. e. a few centuries before the Chris-
114 IGNORANCE IN PHYSICAL SCIENCES.
tian aera, a period somewhat more modern than his
first assertion.
It often excites surprise that the native teachers
who are brought into connexion with foreign students,
and who enjoy a fair reputation for knowledge and
learning amongst their countrymen, are nevertheless
so marvellously ignorant in all matters of geography,
history, and physical science. The reason of this is
to be found in the fact, that the mind of China is
diverted into other channels of knowledge, often ab-
struse, and more frequently puerile. Amid the poverty
of their physical sciences, it is evident that a large
amount of talent is continually employed in the meta-
physical system of the Chinese, which rests on the base
of imaginative theory, destitute of reality and truth ;
and those powers of mind, which, under more favour-
able circumstances, might have grasped the sublimest
objects, and pursued the most noble investigations,
with profit and success, are frittered away and wasted
on a system of puerile absurdity. Thus the misem-
ployed mind of China is building up a pyramid of
error, which it has cost ages to erect, and may require
ages to demolish, opposing great obstacles in the way
of a moral revolution in favour of Christian truth.
The native work on astronomy, given me by Yun-
tang, I afterwards found to have been written about
twenty -four years ago by a Chinese scholar, the friend
of Gnun tsung-tuh, who presided over the two Kwang
provinces, Kwang-tung (or Canton) and Kwang-se,
about ten years ago, and at whose instigation the
work had been written.
April Qth In the course of my rambles in the
suburbs, I landed from my boat at the Tai-ma-toir,
EXECUTION-GROUND. 115
about two miles below the foreign factories, and on
the north bank of the river. It was difficult to feel
quite secure from bodily assault amid the crowds
who would sometimes follow, shouting, on every side,
fan-qmi-lo (foreign demon) with astonishing perse-
verance. Once or twice only has this popular ill-
feeling been manifested in any thing beyond words,
when I received a smart jerk from the elbow of some
low fellows while passing through a crowd, which
would pretty well conceal the individual offenders.
In these distant parts of the southern suburb, abutting
on the river, I passed through a number of by-lanes,
which at last brought me to the Execution-ground,
near the principal southern gate of the city. Here
the stern majesty of Chinese law is vindicated in the
blood of the transgressor. Here the convicted crimi-
nal undergoes the last penalty of capital crime ; and,
kneeling towards the imperial city of the north, dies
in the attitude of adoration of paternal rule. About
twenty bare skulls were lying on one side of this alley,
while others were secured in earthenware urns, the
odour of which was equally offensive with the sight.
This Aceldama was literally a potter's field, as well
as a field of blood ; being used as a ground for dry-
ing earthern pots, which were lying about in every
direction, covered with matting to protect them from
the elements. No executions had taken place for a
month ; though they sometimes amount to twenty or
thirty at one time. As I was standing on the very
spot where the head of the malefactor is severed at
one blow from the body, and the lifeless corpse is
made to attest the rigorous severity of justice, a few
Chinese gathered round me, and I had an opportunity
i2
116 TEMPLE OF LONGEVITY.
of distributing some tracts, without the interruption
of a crowd. The people of this district have gained a
bad character for turbulence ; but, on this occasion,
were very quiet and peaceable.
Later in the evening, I accompanied a Missionary
brother on a visit to the celebrated " temple of lon-
gevity," situated about a mile and a half to the north-
west of the foreign factories in the western suburb.
We arrived at the time of celebration of evening ser-
vice, and remained surveying the scene from with-
out the door. About 100 or 150 priests reside in this
Budhist monastery, seventy of whom were attending
on this occasion in the principal temple. A great part
of their ceremonies consisted in standing with joined
palms, chanting, in a low, indistinct voice, the Palee
sounds in praise of Budh, accompanied with gongs,
drums, and bells. Sometimes they knelt, and at other
times they walked in procession, beating time to a
strange kind of tune, around the temple ; at a corner
of which a priest was standing, giving to the other
priests, as they passed, a check or tally a piece of
wood inscribed with the Chinese character for " lon-
gevity," to attest the presence of the individual accord-
ing to stated rule. A few of the priests, seeing we had
some books, left the procession, sought and obtained
a copy, and then returned to join in the supersti-
tions, reserving the book for subsequent perusal. The
commendation bestowed by these priests on Christian
doctrines is generally to the effect that they are very
good for us, but not necessary for them : that Chris-
tianity may be the best religion for foreigners, but
Budhism is best for themselves.
We ascended to the top of the temple, from which
POWTINQUA'S GARDENS. 117
there is a good view of the city inside the walls, with
its two lofty pagodas, rising from amidst the rich and
luxuriant foliage of the trees interspersed below-
The generality of the priests were men of fierce and
unprepossessing aspect. We found one poor fellow
in this lofty retreat, alone and unconscious of our
presence, bowing his head and paying silent adoration
before a large idol, and apparently spell-bound under
the influence of superstitious awe. We passed through
the numerous courts and lesser temples, which con-
stitute this extensive and important establishment,
with the humble hope and prayer, that the message of
salvation and the clear statement of Christian truth,
contained in the books this evening distributed among
the numerous body of priests, might receive the pro-
mised blessing from on high, not going forth in
vain. I observed a rosary suspended from the neck
of some of the priests. What a characteristic simi-
larity, even in some of its most detailed particulars,
between pagan idolatry and a corrupt form of Chris-
tianity !
April llth I accompanied some friends on a visit
to the gardens of the celebrated Powtinqua, in a boat
which he sent for our use, with one of his attendants
to act as our guide. After proceeding about three
miles in a north-west direction, we left the broad
river, and sailed up a canal on our right for a few fur-
longs, to a summer-house, at which we disembarked.
On entering the gardens, we proceeded to inspect the
various attractions, passing over a number of bridges,
which intersect in different parts the continuation of
small lakes, of which this retreat is principally formed.
These were not calculated, in their present shallow,
118 CHINESE SUMMER-HOUSES.
muddy state, to add any beauty to the scene ; but
later in the year, especially in the month of June, they
are well filled with water, and abound with lotuses,
forming a beautiful carpet-like expanse of vegetation.
In different parts of the grounds were little summer-
retreats, with furniture and decorations suited to the
affluent condition of the proprietor. Splendid tablets,
with large inscriptions, informed the visitor of the
persons of rank and influence with whom the owner
of these domains had contracted, by due forms, a com-
pact of friendship. Of these writings, one contained
the united names and emblems of Ke-Ying and Pow-
tinqua. In these little buildings the common events
of the interior of Chinese families were represented
by some well-executed images, performing various
ridiculous scenes, in which the ladies were the prin-
cipal actors. In other parts there were little curiosi-
ties, apparently the gift of some foreign visitor ; and
among these, a model of a steam-boat with engine
and paddles, easily worked for the purpose of
explanation. Near this spot, a public notice, in
tolerably correct English, informed us that the liberal
proprietor wished his foreign friends to give no
douceur to any of the attendants ; but intimated the
pleasure with which he would receive any present
of European manufacture, as a memorial of their
visit. Gold and silver pheasants, mandarin-ducks,
storks, peacocks, some deer, and other animals of
rarity or beauty, were placed in cages along the
raised walks, which led around and across the
lakes. Beautiful trees, shrubs, and parterres of
flowers, added their portion of variety and interest ;
while, again, lofty platforms, surmounting the roofs of
CROWDED POPULATION ON THE CANALS. 119
the numerous summer-houses, afforded a prospect into
the neighbouring localities. On one of the latter
eminences I was joined by three Chinese, who told me
they had come hither, in compliance with annual
custom, to perform the usual rites at the tomb of their
grandfather, buried in an adjacent field. We re-
turned from our trip by a different route, to avoid the
force of the unfavourable tide, passing for two or three
miles through canals, on either bank of which little
boarded huts were crowded together on rude piles
extending into the water. The motley tenants of
these substitutes for houses, which formed to myriads
of industrious people 'their only shelter from the ele-
ments, assembled in groups as we passed along, to
catch a glimpse of the lady of our party, whom they
saluted with long-continued greetings offan-quei-moo,
"foreign devil woman." As we emerged from the
canal into a wider part of the river, and threaded our
way among the lanes of boats of all sizes and forms,
peopled by the average population of many a Euro-
pean city, the general excitement and curiosity were
manifested in shouts from the congregated thousands.
Mothers ran forth with their infant offspring in their
arms, shouting the offensive epithet, and holding them
forward to gaze on the novel wonder of a barbarian
woman. As the British troops had landed at these
parts, after capturing and destroying the adjacent forts,
and this portion of the suburbs had suffered severely
in the war, we had reason to be thankful that curiosity,
rather than malignity, was manifested in the reception
with which we were greeted.
We soon after landed at a spacious mansion belong-
ing to the son and heir of the celebrated Howqua.
120 HOWQUA'S SUBURBAN RESIDENCE.
The son inherits many of the good qualities of his
father. Among other instances of his liberality and
benevolence may be mentioned the fact of his still
continuing the grant of the Missionary Hospital free
of all rent, so nobly made, in the first instance, by old
Howqua. The mansion extended close down to the
water's edge, from which we passed upwards by a
flight of stone stairs. It formed the suburb-dwelling
of young Howqua, where one of his wives was domi-
ciled. The interior arrangements of this splended
dwelling, and the number of domestics, we found to
be on a scale of great wealth and luxury. It had
been rebuilt since the late war. The roof of the
first story afforded a spacious terrace, laid out in
flower-beds and walks, communicating with the apart-
ments of the lady of the house. The lady of our
party was immediately conducted to a large room
above, where she was for some time engaged in the
interchange of salutations with the Chinese lady, amid
a company of attendants. On our departure, the Chi-
nese lady, whom the scale of surrounding luxury
pointed out as a favourite of her husband, watched us
from above, a female attendant standing before to
screen her from view, though at times she advanced,
tittering and smiling, to catch a free gaze on the
foreigners. These poor women are at present al-
most placed beyond the possibility of Christian in-
struction. No Missionary lady is as yet sufficiently
versed in the language to be able to place before
their minds, at the present stage of our intercourse,
the truths of revelation. The defective education of
females in China leaves their understanding untu-
tored and unfurnished with knowledge ; and in very
PROCESSION OF THE IDOL SHING-KEA. 12L
few cases are they able to read the Christian books,
which their own sex among the Missionary body
might possess opportunities of presenting to them.
April 13th On this day the western suburbs were
the scene of much tumult and confusion from a pro-
cession, which visited the various streets in succession,
bearing abroad the idols of one of the temples on this
the annual festival. The honours of the occasion were
paid to the idol Shing-kea, this being his birth-day,
when, according to annual custom, he is taken out for
an airing in great pomp. The procession was very
long, and took eighteen minutes in passing. It con-
sisted of pipers, with drums and gongs at certain inter-
vals, and numerous bearers of the insignia and gaudy
ornaments of the temple. In different parts, boys and
girls were seated on horseback, dressed out in most
grotesque and fantastic garb. At intervals, some pro-
stitutes, with painted faces, were seated on a portable
platform. Little bands of children, with juvenile musi-
cians, varied the scene ; and persons with mandarin-
caps and other badges of office followed. The flags and
banners were in some parts very beautiful and costly,
and were inscribed with various devices ; e.<jr."The esta-
blished supreme ruler of heaven," and other laudatory
titles in honour of the idol. As this anniversary jubilee
was the occasion of a general purgation of the temple, all
the sacred furniture was carried in procession, having
been polished for the purpose. The sooty smoke, which
had accumulated around the idols from the burning of
incense during the year, was carefully removed, and
the god came forth on this festive day in the freshness
and brightness of renovated youth. At length, after
the musicians, the equestrians, the women, the gaily-
122 GROUPS OF IDOLS MUSICIANS EQUESTRIANS.
wrought banners, the maces of office, and the man-
darin-attendants had passed onward, the large square
glass temples in miniature, which contained the sacred
emblems of deity, were carried along amid the laugh-
ing and shouting of the collected mob. Two idols,
about six inches in height, surrounded on either side
by a number of lesser idols, sat enthroned within the
first two glass cases. In the last only one principal
idol was to be seen. In our evening walk we were on
two or three occasions unfortunate in crossing the
course of the procession, thus meeting an obstruction
to our intended excursion. In some of the streets the
more wealthy shopkeepers had a feast regularly set
out, consisting of fruits, cakes, and a large roasted pig
in the centre. A mirror was suspended at the ex-
tremity, with the inscription of the characters, Shing-
kea. As the procession passed, curiosity was at its
height; but never was there an appearance of any
thing like reverence or awe. A few men, dressed out
in the peculiarly ugly accoutrements of public exe-
cutioners, preceded each group of idols, probably as
a symbol of the vindictive power of the supposed
divinities over the objects of their wrath. The ex-
penses are levied on the streets through which the
idols are borne, the shopkeepers subscribing towards
reimbursing the public companies, who provide, for
hire, the gaudy decorations which are intended to
grace the occasion. Along the whole series of
streets, fragrant sticks of incense were lighted on
the little household altars in honour of the passing
throng.
A sufficient number of daily incidents will have
been noted down to convey a tolerably correct idea of
RECAPITULATION OF MISSIONARY FACILITIES. 123
the real character and extent of the Missionary field
existing at Canton. At the present time, the Missionary
Hospital is the most hopeful agency for effecting good
on an extensive scale, by disposing the minds of rulers
and people more favourably towards foreign teachers.
Although a mighty change for the better has been
brought about in the improved tone and bearing of
the native authorities since the British treaty of peace ;
yet serious obstacles to public Missionary labours and
extensive Missionary success must still exist, till the
current of popular feeling shall have taken a more fa-
vourable turn. It will hereafter be seen how complete
a contrast is presented to the turbulent hostility of the
local populace of Canton, in the more favourable op-
portunities of intercourse, and the respectful friendly
demeanour of the people, in the northern ports of
China. Without anticipating the order of events,
further comparison cannot now be instituted.
CHAPTER IX.
DEPARTURE FOR SHANGHAI.
ARRIVAL OF BISHOP BOONE AT HONG KONG RECENT ACTS OF
THE TRIENNIAL CONVENTION OF THE AMERICAN PROTES-
TANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH EMBARKATION FOR SHANGHAI-
FELLOW -PASSENGERS SKILL OF CHINESE FISHERMEN
DECOY-FISH GALE IN FORMOSA CHANNEL CHUSAN GROUP
ENTRANCE OF RIVER YANG-TZE-KEANG SERVICES ON
BOARD ENTRANCE OF WOOSUNG RIVER CHINESE FORTS
AND BATTERY BRITISH OPIUM VESSELS LANDING AT VIL-
LAGE OF WOOSUNG JOURNEY OVERLAND IN CHAIRS
ARRIVAL AT SHANGHAI.
I LEFT Canton on April 16th, and, after a voyage of
two days, arrived at Hong Kong on the 18th. Here
I had to remain for a longer period than I wished, on
account of the difficulty of procuring a vessel to the
northern ports. The increased delay was, however,
amply compensated by my havifig thereby the oppor-
tunity of forming the valuable acquaintance and
friendship of Dr. Boone, who about this time returned
to China from the United States of America, where
he had been recently consecrated the first Bishop of
the American Protestant Episcopal Church in China.
He arrived in the latter end of April, witli his family,
and with two married clergymen, and some ladies
attached to the educational institutions contemplated
in his Mission. Dr. Boone originally went to Batavia
as a Missionary in 1837, and subsequently removed to
ARRIVAL OF BP. BOONE FROM THE UNITED STATES. 125
Amoy in 1842, from which Station ill health compelled
his return to his native land for a change of climate.
The appointment of foreign Missionary Bishops is a
recent measure of the American Episcopal Church,
which, at the last general or triennial convention in
1844, attended by a representation of the clergy and
laity of each diocese, decided on the appointment of
three Missionary Bishops, one of whom was conse-
crated for China. Although the American Episco-
pal Church professes to carry on its Missions as a
Church, yet the direction of the Missions practically
devolves upon a Committee almost as independent
as that of the Church Missionary Society. The
Bishop is one of its paid Missionaries, with a sti-
pend of 1500 dollars a year. The directing Board
of Missions is composed of thirty elected members,
lay and clerical, with the Bishops as ex-officio mem-
bers. The measure of consecrating a Bishop specially
for China was adopted after correspondence with the
Archbishop of Canterbury. Bishop Boone had aban-
doned the intention of returning to his former Station
at Amoy, on account of the unhealthiness of the cli-
mate, the difficulty of the dialect, and the number of
Protestant Missionaries already settled at that port.
In accordance with the expressed preference of the
directing Committee of Missions, he determined on
consolidating his Mission at Shanghai ; the difficulty
of acquiring an entirely new dialect being counterba-
lanced, in his estimation, by the greater advantages of
this Missionary Station. On account of the scantiness
of information respecting the other northern cities, we
had projected a visit in company to the various ports
along the coast. This plan we were unable to carry
126 EMBARKATION FOR SHANGHAI.
into practice, from the great difficulty of obtaining a
passage in any European vessel. The extreme per-
sonal risk and hazard of proceeding to these ports
in a Chinese junk, among a native crew of strangers,
did not seem to be warranted by the hope of any cor-
responding advantages to the Missionary work from
an immediate visit. After waiting another month, we
availed ourselves of an opportunity of proceeding to
Shanghai together.
Accordingly, on May 25th, 1845, we embarked on
board a British schooner, bound from Hong Kong to
Shanghai, accompanied by Mrs. Boone, her little boy,
and two other ladies connected with the Mission.
Our ship's company consisted of the captain (who had
his wife on board), two mates, four English sailors, six-
teen Lascars, chiefly from Bombay, and a Negro from
the Mozambique Channel. Besides these was the
steward, a native of Madras, and a bigoted Maho-
medan ; the Bishop's servant, a native of Batavia, of
mixed Chinese and Malay descent ; and a Chinese
boy, a native of Ningpo, whom I took as my servant,
partly to gain an acquaintance with the Ningpo dia-
lect, and also to carry him back to his home after
two years' absence. Thus every quarter of the globe
contributed its quota to the diversity of dialect and
colour which, together with the diversity of our reli-
gious belief, characterized our assemblage. Weigh-
ing anchor, we slowly passed out of the harbour of
Victoria with a north wind, which obliged us frequently
to tack, till at length, after our emerging through the
Limun passage into a more open part of the sea, it
subsided into a calm, and we came to anchor on the
eastern side of the island of Hong Kong, within a mile
DECOY-FISH. 127
of the small island of Tamtoo. The next morning we
again weighed anchor, but were compelled to take a
south-east course, and soon anchored off a little island
a few miles south of Hong Kong. For four or five
days we had calms and light head-winds, which lasted
nearly the whole voyage. The heat was intense, the
thermometer being 95 degrees in our close cabin ; and
my suffering in the head was so acute, as to leave me at
last almost in a state of insensibility from debility and
fever. We continued within sight of the shore nearly
the whole of the first ten days, by which time we were
off the island of Namoa. Here some of the numerous
fishing-boats visited our ship. One of them came
alongside, and very cleverly decoyed off a shoal of
fish, that were sporting around the vessel, by means of
some artificial fish made of tin, drawn after their boat
by a line attached to its stern ; one of the fishermen
striking or rather fanning the water with a light mat
of rushes. The whole shoal followed the decoy-fish,
and after they had proceeded about 200 yards, the
nets were lowered from two boats, and the crew of a
third boat drew up the fish that were inclosed. They
then returned, and sold us a portion of the prize justly
due to their skill. As we sailed along the coast of
Fokeen, the same good-humoured race of people was
to be seen at a short distance plying their vocation on
the deep. In every direction, as we surveyed the nu-
merous crews through the telescope, we saw the same
good nature and laughing countenances as they watched
our approach, and sometimes extended their hands
in salutations. The Chinese in one boat which ap-
proached us threw three large fish into the ship, and
on our inquiring the price they said they wanted rice.
128 FORMOSA CHANNEL CHUSAN ISLANDS.
However, before it could be procured, they let go the
rope which was thrown to them from our vessel, and
with good-humoured looks conveyed to us the intima-
tion that they meant to make us a present of them.
As we approached Chapel Island, and the bay which
leads to Amoy, we had boisterous weather for three
days, during one night of which it blew a gale, so that
we could only beat about from side to side in the For-
mosa Channel. At one time we were about to anchor
in a bay to the north of Quemoy Island, in a small
roadstead, where two junks had already taken refuge ;
but the breakers indicating the vicinity of a dangerous
sand, our captain preferred again directing our course
into the mid-channel till daylight. At length we got
a strong south-west breeze for above twelve hours,
which, though gradually dying off, set us onward in
our course ; and, after many delays, we sighted the
Chusan group of islands, a numerous cluster of
granite rocks rising in steep acclivities from the
sea, and entirely destitute of vegetation. Here and
there we could descry some fisherman's temporary
abode, piled up on a rugged headland : but the
whole aspect might well, in by-gone ages, have com-
bined with the exclusive character of the people to
banish from this iron-bound coast the adventurous
wanderer from foreign climes. The rich island of
Chusan itself lay to the west, and we could only catch
a distant glimpse of its range of hills. On June llth
we anchored near the Two Brothers, and the next
day endeavoured to make a short passage through
some imperfectly-explored islets, which from an error
in the chart we found it impossible to navigate with-
out much danger, so that this and the next day were
ENTRANCE OF THE YANG-TZE-KEANG. 129
lost. On the 13th and 14th we were tacking about
near Gutzlaff's Island, at the entrance of the Yang-
tze-keang, lying at anchor during the night ; and on
the 15th we were within this noble river, which, as
the grand central artery of inland intercourse, diffuses
the wealth of commerce, by means of its tributary
streams and canals, to the most distant extremities of
the Chinese empire. Scarcely a junk was to be seen
sailing towards the south ; while towards the northern
outlet we beheld numerous heavy junks, apparently
bound for Shantung and the more northern provinces.
Our hearts were rejoiced at the prospect of a speedy
termination to our voyage, which to myself had been
a time of almost unceasing pain and sickness. The
society of our Missionary friends had been very agree-
able ; and, by the obliging kindness of the captain, we
had a Sunday service and family devotions every
evening on board. As we passed along the low banks
of the river at two or three miles' distance, covered
with low trees, the solemn realities of the difficult
work in which we were to be engaged presented
themselves to our minds, and we found relief in the
encouraging promises of God's word. Our little com-
pany joined in singing Bishop Heber's Missionary
Hymn, which persons in our situation could feel in its
peculiar pathos and power. After many difficulties
arising from the shallowness of the water, and many
risks of running aground long before we could see
the land, we were mercifully brought in safety through
the beds of sand ; and at last, to our unspeakable de-
light, we entered the mouth of the Woosung River,
and dropt anchor among a little fleet of opium vessels.
A number of native boats quickly came around us, and
K
130 THE RIVER WOOSUNG.
my Chinese boy essayed his conversational powers
with the boatmen, fruitmen, and others, and was not a
little disconcerted to find that " he was not even five
parts (out of ten) understood by them." We soon
discovered (what we were in some measure prepared
to expect) that the vulgar dialect was very dissimilar
from the mandarin dialect, and resembled, in this
respect, the general character of every local dialect
in China, which is a mere patois, unintelligible even
in the distant parts of the same province. The next
morning we surveyed the place more minutely, and
discovered a long mud battery, which also served
the purpose of an embankment, running along the
northern shore, near to which we anchored. Within
range of the Chinese forts, and within gun-shot sound of
a Mandarin-station, were six foreign vessels lying se-
curely at anchor, engaged in a contraband traffic, de-
structive to the morality and injurious to the resources
of the country ; and yet no effort of any kind was made
by these officials to check the evil. It is difficult to
conceive that the government officers are not either
willing to reap the profits of bribery for connivance ;
or, being raised above such an influence of corruption,
are convinced of the futility of resisting the importa-
tion of a drug, which panders to the sensuality of the
Chinese and to the avarice of the foreigner.
Our own vessel, though not engaged in the opium
traffic, carried 750 chests of opium as a part of her
freight, which were discharged on board one of the
receiving-ships stationed at Woosung. My Chinese
boy more than once on the voyage asked me whether
I knew there was opium on board, and what I should
say in reply to the- Chinese, if, after hearing me speak
OPIUM-VESSELS. 131
to them about Yay-soo taou le, " Jesus' doctrines/' they
should ask why I had come in a ship that brought
opium, of which so many of his countrymen ate and
perished. We went on board the receiving-ship, and
saw the process of preparing the inspissated juice of
the opium for test, previous to purchase. On opening
the chests, and clearing away- a number of dry poppy-
leaves, an oblong dry cake, of a brown colour, was
taken out, weighing four or five pounds. In the
boxes of opium made up by the East-India Company
greater care is taken. The balls are more round,
and are placed in partitions ; each box containing
forty, and being, moreover, carefully cased in hides.
The bargain is soon struck with the Chinese broker,
who incurs the risk of purchasing for the more opu-
lent Chinese opium-merchants at Shanghai and in
the neighbourhood. A piece of opium is taken as a
sample from three separate balls, and prepared in
three separate pots for smoking, to test its freedom
from adulteration. This process took nearly half-an-
hour, during which the opium was mixed with water,
and, after simmering and straining, was kept boiling,
till, by evaporation, it was reduced to a thick consis-
tency, like treacle. Each box is sold for nearly 200/. ;
and we saw about 1500 taels of Sycee silver in large
lumps, of the shape of a shoe, weighed out and paid
into the iron chest of the ship. Shroffs from Canton
province were engaged in minutely examining each
piece of silver previous to its reception. Shroffs,
opium-dealers, interpreters, and native accountants
were closely standing together in different parts of
the deck, which wore a busy and painfully animated
appearance. A Fokeen opium-dealer, on ascertaining
K2
132 DETAILS OF THE OPIUM-TRAFFIC.
the bishop's knowledge of his dialect, began shaking
him by the hand, and wanted to give him a gratuitous
passage to Shanghai, in his smuggling boat, which he
declined. As the neatly-packed cases of the East-
India Company were opened to discharge their con-
tents, the impression was deepened in our minds that,
in arguing against the question of opium-smuggling
with those who will not rise to the Christian view of
the subject, we have little prospect of success, till the
East-India Company consent to abandon the monopoly
of the growth of the poppy, and our Government
show the example of sacrificing the gains of the
opium-revenue on the altar of Christianity.
About ten o'clock A.M. of the 16th we passed along
the point of the river where the village of Woosung
is situated, but had not proceeded more than a mile
before we were again compelled to drop anchor ;
and the contrary wind, added to the strength of the
ebb-tide, left us no hope of reaching Shanghai, twelve
miles distant, till the next day. The bishop and
myself therefore determined on leaving the ladies of
our party, and procuring chairs, if possible, to take us
overland from Woosung to Shanghai, about nine miles.
Accordingly, we soon reached the village in a Chinese
fishing-boat, and, landing amid a crowd of Chinese
idlers, ascended the flight of steps winch led to the
village-street above. The houses were of most primi-
tive construction, many of them being built on piles,
overhanging the water, and indicating the lowest class
of inhabitants. A petty officer who belonged to the
village soon began a parley with the boatman, who
was our guide. The latter explained our object and
wishes, stating that we were come from the ship lying
TILLAGE OF WOOSUNG. 133
at anchor, and wanted to save time by proceeding
overland in chairs to the city. The functionary was
peculiarly bland and courteous in his manners,
assented to the reasonableness of our object, and,
bowing to us, disappeared in a hurried manner,
leaving on our minds the impression that he was
gone to report to his superior. We sat down under
a kind of public tea-tavern, where the villagers, old
and young, were assembled, smoking tobacco over
their tea, and indulging in eager colloquy over their
cups. Our arrival increased the number ; and the
adjustment of the sum to be paid for our conveyance
was a theme of good-humoured excitement, during
which we threatened to return to the ship if they did
not accede to the sum proposed. We soon, however,
came to terms. Two bamboo chairs were put in order,
with a slender screen above and on the sides, to protect
us from the rays of the sun. Long poles were duly
affixed on either side ; and, borne on the shoulders of
two coolies each, with two others to relieve in turn,
we set out from the other side of the stream, which at
this point flows into the Woosung river. The bishop
led the way, and I followed, within sound of each
other's voice. Our course lay over a continuation of
winding paths, rice-fields, green lanes, cotton-fields,
canals, bridges, and little rural homesteads, for three
hours. Our bearers were most garrulous, and were
laughing and jesting the whole way, in spite of their
fatigue. Once or twice we got out to walk where the
path was dangerous and unsafe for our burden. The
whole country bore the marks of rich fertility and
cultivation ; and the peasantry, male and female,
whom we passed working in the fields, seemed to
134 JOURNEY OVERLAND TO SHANGHAI.
be a peaceable and orderly class. The women
who were working in the fields were almost univer-
sally cramped in their feet, and were' very anxious
to catch a passing glimpse of us as we crossed
their path. Several buffaloes were working at the
plough or harrow, and one we observed turning a
wheel, which pumped up a stream of water from the
canal below to irrigate the fields. None of the houses
indicated the condition of the inmates as possessing
more than the substantial necessaries of life ; while,
on the other hand, no marks of abject poverty were
discernible. Our bearers stopped at a small tea-
tavern on our way, where we all refreshed ourselves
with tea, and cakes made from pulse. Some of the
bridges were so narrow, and the turnings so abrupt,
that we sometimes were in hazard of being whirled
from our frail sedans into the water, nearly twenty feet
below. At length, when about two miles from the city,
we entered a village, where we .embarked on board a
boat, and, proceeding down a canal, emerged into the
broad river again, and soon sailed along the northern
bank, where the new foreign houses were in course of
erection for the merchants. Landing at one of the
principal flights of stone steps, we again entered our
chairs, and were borne nearly two miles in a southern
direction through the city to the residence of an
English Missionary, Dr. Lockhart, who kindly re-
ceived me as his guest. Here I found my dear
brother M'Clatchie domiciled, who received me
with warm and affectionate kindness. The evening
was spent in visiting Mr. Medhurst's family, with
whom the bishop found a temporary home till a house
could be procured for his family, who arrived the
ARRIVAL AT SHANGHAI. 135
following day. As we passed along the narrow streets
in our sedans, on our arrival at the city, and during
our subsequent walk in the evening, I could not fail
to contrast the respect and immunity from annoyance
here ceded to foreigners, with the arrogant pride still
predominant among the Canton populace in the south.
The ladies of our party walked with us through the
streets, with no other annoyance than the curious
gaze of the by-standers, who seldom failed to restrain
their curiosity within the bounds of the strictest pro-
priety and civility.
CHAPTER X.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF SHANGHAI.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS TOPOGRAPHY OF CITY GENERAL FEA-
TURES OF SURROUNDING COUNTRY CLIMATE NATURAL
PRODUCTIONS CHARACTER OF PEOPLE ESTIMATED POPU-
LATION COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE AND CONNEXION WITH
THE INTERIOR NATIVE EXPORTS EUROPEAN TRADE
LOCAL AUTHORITIES CAPTURE OF CITY BY BRITISH TROOPS
OUTPORT TO SOO-CHOW GROWING LIBERALITY OF THE
MANDARINS ROMAN-CATHOLIC SETTLEMENT GENERAL
VIEW OF SHANGHAI AS A MISSIONARY STATION TABULAR
VIEW OF AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR ONE YEAR.
THE city of Shanghai is a keen or district-city com-
prised within the department of Sun-keang-foo. Like
most Chinese cities, its exterior appearance is not cal-
culated to impress the approaching traveller with the
wealth or grandeur of the place. Nor does a personal
visit to its narrow streets or lanes, abounding with
filth, remove the unfavourable impression from a Euro-
pean visitor. The city itself is surrounded by a wall,
about three miles in circuit, through which six gates
open into the surrounding suburbs. Four of these
open into the vicinity of the river, where most of the
mercantile houses are situated. A canal about twenty
feet across surrounds the city outside the wall. Three
canals lead from the river (which is here about a
quarter of a mile broad) in a transverse direction
through the heart of the city, from which there are
THE CITY AND POPULATION. 137
several other lesser dykes branching off. The surround-
ing country is one continued flat, extending many
miles, and intersected by numerous little rivers and
canals, which effectually drain the soil, while in seasons
of drought they afford the means of irrigation. The
nearest hills lie in a north-west direction, at a distance
of thirty miles. The highest is said to be 1000 feet
above the level of the sea, and to command a
variety of romantic scenery from its summit, which
is partially inhabited, and has some temples. The
climate of Shanghai is salubrious, and the neigh-
bourhood is richly cultivated. Vegetables and fruits
of various kinds are supplied in gradual succession
during the whole year. The temperature, however,
is subject to extreme changes, the thermometer rising
above a hundred degrees in the hot season, and falling
as low as twenty-four degrees in the winter. The
character of the population is peaceable and indus-
trious. They are friendly and respectful to foreigners ;
though a mercenary and avaricious spirit seems likely
to infect them in their dealings with Europeans, whose
fancied wealth they deem a legitimate source of un-
scrupulous gain to themselves. The wants of the
people are few and simple, and therefore easily sup-
plied. The principal food, even of the more affluent,
is rice, the ravages of luxury not yet having supplanted
the simple demands of nature. A great portion of the
city adjacent to the western gate consists of a succes-
sion of gardens, extending two or three furlongs inside
the city wall. The opposite side of the river consists
of fields, as yet unoccupied by buildings. A line of
river-frontage, extending half a mile, and occupying a
part of the suburbs on the north-east side of the city,
from which it is distant a quarter of a mile, has been
138 COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE.
granted as building sites for the foreign merchants. The
situation is good, the air salubrious, and the locality
convenient for the shipping. Shanghai is situated in
latitude 31 24' N. and in longitude 121 32' E., on the
bank of the Woosung river, at the point of its con-
fluence with the Hwang-poo, and is distant about
twelve miles from the Yang-tze-keang. The popula-
tion may be estimated at two hundred thousand.
The commercial importance of Shanghai can hardly
be over-rated. As an entrepot for the commerce of
Shan-tung and Tartary on the north as the out-
port of all the central provinces of the empire as the
grand emporium for the trade of Fokeen and Formosa
from the south as the port and usual point of
access to Soo-chow-foo, the metropolis of fashion and
native literature as a rendezvous for the trade of
the Yang-tze-keang and Grand Canal, the main
arteries of inland commerce as connected with nu-
merous neighbouring mercantile cities by the canals
which divide the surface of the country and as the
grand emporium for the European and American
trade in the north of China it assumes an importance
of which its local size and limited population
would seem at first glance to divest it. The staple
production of the neighbourhood, which is prin-
cipally agricultural, is cotton, the manufacture of
which furnishes the occupation of weaving to large
numbers of the inhabitants. Rice and wheat are also
extensively cultivated. There is a large export of
tea, principally from Hoo-choo in Chekeang, 100 miles
distant : also of silk from Hwui-chow in Gnan-hwui,
and other places, 300 miles in the interior. Added to
which, the fact of Europeans being able to purchase
tea, silks, and other native commodities ten per cent.
>
LOCAL AUTHORITIES. 139
cheaper at Shanghai than at Canton, from the diminu-
tion to the Chinese merchant of transit expenses, seems
likely to divert no inconsiderable portion of the
foreign trade from the southern commercial capital to
this rapidly-increasing emporium of the north.
The chief local magistrate is the taou-tai, who is
the governor of two/00 and one chow, having altogether
twenty-two ching or walled cities under his jurisdic-
tion. The second Mandarin in importance is the
hai-fang, or director of maritime affairs, who assumes
the local government in the absence of the taou-tai. Of
the subordinate Mandarins, the principal is the che-heen,
who is at the head of the police department, and pos-
sesses more circumscribed limits of authority. Shang-
hai is situated in the province of Keang-soo, which,
together with the province of Gnan-hwui, is included
under the term Keang-nan, of which the chief city is
Nanking. Keang-nan, together with the province of
Keang-se, forms the government of the same tsung-
tuh, or governor-general, the united provinces being
comprised in the designation of the Leang-Keang, or
" the Two Keang." The taou-tai enjoys the reputation,
among the consular officials, of being a man of honour,
integrity, and kind feelings. The residence of the
British Consul within the city, and the occasional inter-
change of visits, seem to have produced a mutual good
understanding. The city suffered little, if any, damage
during the disasters of the late war. It was captured
by the British troops, but there was no destruction of
property or life to any considerable extent. The
most of the injury sustained was effected by the native
rabble in their eagerness for plunder. Consequently
there is but little exasperation of feeling, or disaffec-
tion to the British on that account. The odious epithet,
140 POLICE REGULATIONS.
" quei tze" (demon) was at first occasionally applied
to foreigners ; but the Chinese authorities promptly
discouraged the practice by a public notice, threaten-
ing punishment of such offensive terms.
The public buildings of any remarkable claims to
attention are few, though there is here, as elsewhere, a
fair proportion of temples, which afford, in most cases,
a temporary lodging or hotel to the numerous
immigrants and merchants from other provinces. The
heads of the native firms generally reside at Soo-chow,
at the distance of from fifty to eighty miles, leaving
their brokers and clerks to transact their local business.
The number of extra-provincial men temporarily
resident at Shanghai ; the suspicion and distrust
which the Mandarins entertain towards these naval
and mercantile strangers from other provinces ; and
the positive instances of the turbulent and lawless spirit
of the Chin-chew sailors from the rebellious province
of Fokeen, have naturally led to exclusive police regu-
lations relative to non-residence within the city wall.
It is probably on this account that there was at
first a reluctance to let houses to foreigners within
the city ; a difficulty happily now removed by a
favourable precedent. The alarm also taken by the
taou-tai at the aggressive labours of the resident
Missionaries seems to have gradually subsided, under
the influence of more favourable consideration, into
a kind of negative permission, or acquiescence in what,
on principles of justice and benevolence, he felt it
impossible or inexpedient to check.
In the city and neighbourhood there are large num-
bers of Roman-Catholic professors of Christianity. The
principal settlement is at a place called King-kea-
hong, about four miles distant on the opposite side of
ROMAN-CATHOLIC SETTLEMENT. 141
the river, at which the bishop resides. He is the
titular bishop of Heliopolis, and his diocese comprises
the provinces of Keang-nan and Shantung ; to which it is
said the province of Pi-che-le (capital Peking) is about
to be added, on account of the events arising out of
a dispute between the Pope and the Portuguese of
Macao. His diocese is computed to contain about
60,000 Roman Catholics; and his pastoral address to
the Popish flocks, consequent on his discovering at Soq-
cbow the document conferring religious toleration, was
so bold that the Mandarins took umbrage, the tsung-
tuh saying that he himself had only two provinces under
his government, but that the bishop assumed three.
Of the 6000 junks which annually bring down
the grain for the emperor from Tartary, many are
manned by Roman-Catholic sailors, who have come
frequently to hear Mr. Medhurst preach, and through
whom a Missionary might proceed to Tartary, as the
people from Tartary and Corea profess their desire of
being permitted to hold intercourse with foreigners.
As a Missionary Station Shanghai exceeds the three
other northern consular ports of Amoy, Foochow, and
Ningpo in two important particulars -facility of access
and connexion with the interior. In respect to the former,
a continual intercourse is likely to be maintained with
Hong Kong and Europe by means of the numerous ship-
ping which frequent the port a considerable advan-
tage in working the practical machinery of Missions.
In reference to the latter, if it should be the good
pleasure of God, who alone can, by His Holy Spirit,
give potency and life to the best-concerted Missionary
plans, to carry His preached and written word to the
hearts and consciences of individuals among this pagan
multitude, the important bearings of a Protestant
142
MISSIONARY ASPECT.
Mission at Shanghai, with its community of native
Christians and teachers, on the interior of China, can
hardly be conceived at their proper estimate. Already
have Christian books, like so many leaves from the
tree of life, found their way to Nanking, Soo-chow,
Chin-keang, and other important localities, and ex-
cited a desire to know more of the doctrines they
reveal. Already 14,500 cases of medical relief have
tended to mitigate the sufferings of our fellow-heirs of
sin, and helped to diffuse amongst the native community
a respect for the religion of the benevolent foreigner.
I have been favoured with the following averages
of temperature, kindly supplied by Dr. Lockhart from
a register kept in each month of the last year. The
averages of June extend only over the latter half of
that month.
i|t
&**
si **
*&
gx
o -
i*
Hi
Mb
.=>
Greatest
heat
by night.
SA*
g s-o
S s *
fg-i
I 1 !
1844.
June
77
66
88
71
72
65
July
93
75
100
82
78
71
Aug.
89
"77
97
81
85
75
Sept.
79
67
91
77
68
63
Oct.
74
60
85
67
59
41
Nov.
65
53
73
60
55
40
Dec.
49
36
64
49
35
26
1845.
Jan.
45
36
60
45
34
24
Feb.
45
37
62
47
36
30
March
53
43
80
64
41
32
April
64
51
75
65
47
41
May
71
60
87 68
59
51
CHAPTER XL
INCIDENTS AT SHANGHAI.
A ROMAN-CATHOLIC RUIN MISSIONARY EXCURSION INTO THE
INTERIOR ROMAN-CATHOLIC VILLAGERS PREACHING IN
HEATHEN TEMPLES VISIT TO NORTHERN PARTS OF THE
CITY TRIUMPHAL ARCH TO A CHRISTIAN MANDARIN THE
" CHING WANG MEAOU " NEWLY-CANONIZED HERO-WARRIOR
CARICATURE-SHOPS MISSIONARY SERVICES TRIP ROUND
THE CITY WALLS VISIT TO A COREAN VESSEL ROMISH
CHURCH IN COREA THE "HALL OF UNITED BENEVOLENCE*'
"FOUNDLING HOSPITAL" THE "HALL OF THE LORD
OF HEAVEN" -VISIT FROM A COREAN SAILOR POPISH
MARIOLATRY.
OUR time was taken up for two or three days in the
arrangements for Mr. M'Clatchie's removal into his
newly-rented house within the south gate of the city.
The native authorities secretly tried the influence of
intimidation with the Chinese landlord. The docu-
ments, however, had been duly signed, and were in
our possession ; and Mr. M'Clatchie immediately re-
moved his luggage, and slept his first night of inaugu-
ration in his new abode.
On June 19th we went about a mile into the country
to explore an old ruin which formerly belonged to
the Roman-Catholic Missionaries, and appeared to be
about 150 years old. It lay in the midst of a beautiful
and quiet retreat, with few houses near. An old man
144 A ROMAN-CATHOLIC RUIN.
came out of an adjoining dwelling, and conducted us
into a dilapidated building, apparently used at pre-
sent as an old warehouse or lumber-room. It bore
the plainest marks of having been a church, with a
semicircular arch dividing the body of the building
from the chancel, where there was a handsomely-
carved altar of stone, about four feet in height and
eight in breadth, surmounted by a horizontal slab
about a yard in depth. On the outer side was the
inscription I H S in large Roman characters, sur-
mounted by a cross ; and the rest of the tablet was
decorated with carved representations of dragons, the
sacred emblem of the Chinese mythology. Near the
entrance was an inscription against the wall outside,
to the memory of some Christian Mandarin. On
walking round to the other side of the building, we
beheld six grave-stones inscribed with the same Ro-
man letters, I H S, with crosses, and placed on the
edge of a large mound, which rose to the height of
twelve feet, and was covered with lilies, plants, and
some dwarf shrubs, forming a beautiful object in the
garden which surrounds the ruin. Here ample proof
existed, if any were needed, that the Romanists, in
former ages, not only had access into the country, but
also enjoyed a fair measure of toleration in their Mis-
sionary work.
Being desirous of ascertaining the nature and ex-
tent of Missionary facilities in the neighbourhood of
Shanghai, I availed myself of the invitation of Mr.
Medhurst to accompany him on his usual weekly
Missionary excursion up the river.
About midnight we embarked in a covered boat,
with two other Missionaries. We set off at this
MISSIONARY EXCURSION IN THE INTERIOR. 145
unseasonable hour, in order to have as much time as
possible before us to bring our trip within a " day's
journey," in accordance with the consular arrange-
ments on the subject of boundaries. We slept on the
seats on either side of our boat, with a few mats
below and a blanket over us. The mosquitoes were
very troublesome ; and we tried in vain to expel these
unwelcome intruders by filling the boat with fumes of
tobacco, which served only to increase our previous
difficulty in obtaining rest. Towards day-light, as
the smarting irritation of their bites subsided, and
their numbers gradually disappeared, we got a little
sleep, and rose somewhat refreshed to take our morn-
ing meal in the boat, which was now nearly twenty
miles up the river, in a south-west direction from
Shanghai. From this point we proceeded very slowly,
till at last we steered up a kang or lesser stream on
our right ; and after another hour's sculling we
stopped at a small hamlet, the tide leaving our boat
without sufficient depth of water to proceed further.
We landed amidst about a hundred villagers, who
quickly gathered around us to receive books, which
were distributed to the most intelligent of their num-
ber. Mr. Medhurst addressed them afterwards for
about ten minutes, and finding that they were princi-
pally professors of the " teen choo keaou," or Roman-
Catholic religion, dwelt on the more prominent truths
of the Incarnation and Atonement of Christ, to which
they assented. But on his subsequently enlarging
on the necessity of trusting in Christ alone as the
Saviour, and the sinfulness of raising other Mediators,
such as the Virgin Mary, who was only a sinful mortal
like ourselves, they appeared to be somewhat stag-
148 VISIT TO NORTHERN PARTS OF THE CITY.
At last, witnessing one Chinese very importunate,
I fetched a copy of Luke's Gospel for him. No
sooner did he perceive it than he addressed earnest
entreaties to the boatmen to steer nearer the shore,
along the banks of which he had been running to
overtake us ; and, watching my opportunity, I folded
up the book, and threw it safely on the dry bank.
Before entering the broad river, we landed and dis-
tributed tracts at an oil -manufactory, where a number
of families were congregated. On the north bank of
the river, also, we landed and passed through a long
village, named Min Hong, where we had a large
number of eager applicants, who accompanied us to
the boat to obtain books. After a few unimportant
adventures we arrived at Shanghai about eleven P.M.,
thus saving our legal time in the matter of the boun-
dary regulations.
June 2lst We went this evening to explore the
northern parts of the city. Entering by the smaller
southern gate, we pursued our way for a mile and a
half through a succession of populous streets and
lanes, all partaking of the same general features, and
abounding with a greater than usual number of tea-
taverns, in which little companies, varying from ten
to thirty persons, were generally assembled. For
three or four copper cash less than one farthing the
labouring people of the poorest class can enter one
of these establishments, and indulge in a liquor which
refreshes but does not intoxicate, while quiet harmony
and peaceful order seem to be universal among them.
It was a pleasure to contrast the crowded state of
these tea-taverns with the generally empty appearance
of the few neighbouring tsew-fang or wine-shops.
TRIUMPHAL ARCH TO A CHRISTIAN MANDARIN. 149
The only addition to the tea was smoking tobacco ;
and their animated countenances frequently bespoke
the earnestness with which they were debating over
the table some question or event of the neighbour-
hood. As we passed the temple of the God of Fire,
the Pluto of the Chinese, the assembled crowd, and
the sounds of musicians in the interior, indicated some
festal occasion in honour of the deity. Near this we
passed under a triumphal arch, erected to the memory
of the celebrated Seu, the father of Candida, both of
whom bore a prominent part in the events of the
seventeenth century, the former being raised to the
highest honours of the state, though a Christian. His
tomb outside the southern gate is covered with a rich
crop of verdure, and has seven regularly-planted trees
of gigantic growth. His posterity are partly Christian
and partly pagan. The latter have raised an altar to
his memory within the city, and still continue to wor-
ship his image. Near the northern gate we visited a
temple, or rather a district of temples, denominated
the Ching-wang-meaou, the principal temple of the
range being dedicated to the presiding deity of the
city. In this temple there were several courts and
fanes decked out with idols, some of which were of
gigantic size and well-executed formation. Around
the sides were ranged a large number of images,
representing attendants on the deity, and dressed out
in an old attire, destitute of the Chinese queue, intro-
duced by the Manchows. The principal idol was
placed in a lurid, dismal part of the building, where
we could hardly catch a glimpse, amidst the dimly-
burning lamps, of the countenance, upon which a more
than ordinary portion of, artistic care seemed to. have
148 VISIT TO NORTHERN PARTS OF THE CITY.
At last, witnessing one Chinese very importunate,
I fetched a copy of Luke's Gospel for him. No
sooner did he perceive it than he addressed earnest
entreaties to the boatmen to steer nearer the shore,
along the banks of which he had been running to
overtake us ; and, w r atching my opportunity, I folded
up the book, and threw it safely on the dry bank.
Before entering the broad river, we landed and dis-
tributed tracts at an oil -manufactory, where a number
of families were congregated. On the north bank of
the river, also, we landed and passed through a long
village, named Min Hong, where we had a large
number of eager applicants, who accompanied us to
the boat to obtain books. After a few unimportant
adventures we arrived at Shanghai about eleven P.M.,
thus saving our legal time in the matter of the boun-
dary regulations.
June 2lst We went this evening to explore the
northern parts of the city. Entering by the smaller
southern gate, we pursued our way for a mile and a
half through a succession of populous streets and
lanes, all partaking of the same general features, and
abounding with a greater than usual number of tea-
taverns, in which little companies, varying from ten
to thirty persons, were generally assembled. For
three or four copper cash less than one farthing the
labouring people of the poorest class can enter one
of these establishments, and indulge in a liquor which
refreshes but does not intoxicate, while quiet harmony
and peaceful order seem to be universal among them.
It was a pleasure to contrast the crowded state of
these tea-taverns with the generally empty appearance
of the few neighbouring tsew-fang or wine-shops.
TRIUMPHAL ARCH TO A CHRISTIAN MANDARIN. 149
The only addition to the tea was smoking tobacco ;
and their animated countenances frequently bespoke
the earnestness with which they were debating over
the table some question or event of the neighbour-
hood. As we passed the temple of the God of Fire,
the Pluto of the Chinese, the assembled crowd, and
the sounds of musicians in the interior, indicated some
festal occasion in honour of the deity. Near this we
passed under a triumphal arch, erected to the memory
of the celebrated Seu, the father of Candida, both of
whom bore a prominent part in the events of the
seventeenth century, the former being raised to the
highest honours of the state, though a Christian. His
tomb outside the southern gate is covered with a rich
crop of verdure, and has seven regularly-planted trees
of gigantic growth. His posterity are partly Christian
and partly pagan. The latter have raised an altar to
his memory within the city, and still continue to wor-
ship his image. Near the northern gate we visited a
temple, or rather a district of temples, denominated
the Ching-wang-meaou, the principal temple of the
range being dedicated to the presiding deity of the
city. In this temple there were several courts and
fanes decked out with idols, some of which were of
gigantic size and well-executed formation. Around
the sides were ranged a large number of images,
representing attendants on the deity, and dressed out
in an old attire, destitute of the Chinese queue, intro-
duced by the Manchows. The principal idol was
placed in a lurid, dismal part of the building, where
we could hardly catch a glimpse, amidst the dimly-
burning lamps, of the countenance, upon which a more
than ordinary portion of. artistic care seemed to. have
150 NATIVE CARICATURES.
been lavished. In an adjoining building was the image
of a celebrated military Mandarin, commandant of the
Woosung forts, who fell in battle while resisting the
British troops when they took the forts by storm in
the late war. He had since been canonized, and a
few days previously solemn offerings had been made
to his memory. Incense, and the general apparatus
of idolatry, were lying before his image when we
entered. The representation of this unfortunate
hero-warrior is said to be a very faithful likeness, and
skilfully finished. Further on, the noise of pipes and
flutes, with stringed instruments, called our attention
to the dwelling of a shop-keeper, who was paying
honour to his idol by theatrical exhibitions, and a
well-supplied feast of sweetmeats and fruit. The
performers were all boys, who to a certain irregular
tune were alternating their parts in some pathetic
romance of real life ; at one time imitating the sounds
of grief, and at another time of remonstrance and
expostulation. Our entrance seemed likely to inter-
rupt, for a time, some of these juvenile musicians and
actors ; but after a little faltering hesitation they
continued their animated chantings. In the shops
several caricatures were to be seen of the English,
in military or naval costume, with most grotesque
figures, arranged by the artist so as to bring down
ridicule on foreigners. A European lady was re-
presented in one of the caricature-drawings, in a
very inelegant posture, evidently intended to excite
merriment at the expense of foreign manners. A large
open space in this vicinity was covered with temples,
some of which were situated on a small lake, and were
approached by bridges. The whole appearance was
MISSIONARY SERVICES. 151
very unique. On our return we found the city-gates
shut, at eight p. M. On our raising a shout they were
immediately opened ; and as we passed, the watch-
word was promptly conveyed to the porter of the
outer gate, who also opened for us without any
questions or delay.
June 22d After the service at the British Con-
sulate, I attended Mr. Medhurst's Chinese service, in
a large lower room in his own house. This being the
day for the burial, at Soo-chow, of the deceased wife
of the che-heen, or mayor of the city, many Chinese
were kept away by the theatrical exhibitions which
prevailed in the city. The sacred festival, also, of
the tsal shin meaou, or " Temple of the God of
Wealth," was another impediment to there being the
usual number of attendants. About a hundred re-
spectably-dressed Chinese listened for nearly an hour
to the Missionary while he read and explained a
printed sermon, composed for the occasion, a copy of
which was placed in the hand of every individual to
read at the time, and to take to his home for subse-
quent perusal. They appeared much interested, and
expressed their approbation of the doctrines explained
to them. Mr. Medhurst makes it his practice to com-
pose his discourse in the literary style, and to print
it previously to its delivery, that each of his hearers
may have the subject in writing before him. He read
a few sentences, and then explained and enlarged on
them in the dialect of the place. One of the auditors
had come from Kea-ting, thirty miles distant, to con-
vey a request that the Missionaries would go thither
to preach. Similar cases of inquiry have occurred at
Soo-chow and Nanking ; and at this time one such
152 RELIGIOUS INQUIRERS.
case from Chin-keang-foo* was under Dr. Lockhart's
roof. The cases of this kind have been generally
those of men of affluence and education ; and the
Christian tracts which had been carried to distant
towns were the first link in the chain of instrumental
events which led them within the sound of the
preached Word of God.
At nine o'clock in the morning Mr. Medhurst had
previously held a service in the city in the Fokeen
dialect, for the benefit of the enterprising merchants
from that province, temporarily resident at Shanghai.
In the evening he again held a service at Dr. Lock-
hart's, at which about one hundred were present, one-
third of the number being women, who sat apart from
the rest in the surgery-room adjoining the open court
in which the men were seated. After the service was
concluded, several Chinese approached the table,
asking for books, especially naming the tung-shoo, or
"Christian Almanac." One of them was a grain-
dealer from Hang-chow, the terminus of the Grand
Canal. He and several others asked when there
would be another service of the kind, a good sign of
the interest excited.
June 23d I set off at six A.M. to make a trip
around the city walls. Being unable to walk the' dis-
tance, I employed two men to carry me in a bamboo
chair. Making our way from the suburbs to the lesser
southern gate, we mounted the parapet by a flight of
about twenty stone steps, and proceeded in a north-
west direction towards the larger southern gate. The
* This man, a literary graduate, has since been admitted to
baptism.
TRIP ROUND THE CITY WALLS. 153
city here presented a rural aspect, forming one suc-
cession of pleasant gardens, with only a few houses
interspersed. Outside the wall there was scarcely a
house to be seen till our arrival at the northern gate,
where both the city and suburbs appeared to be more
thickly peopled. Near this point we had to pass
through a temple of the Taou sect, which surmounted
the wall, and consequently lay across our course. An
old man, apparently connected with the temple, began
conversing with the bearers ; and afterwards, approach-
ing my chair, shook hands with me, and pressed me to
alight and explore the building. He took me across a
room filled with attendants to another series of rooms,
anxious to show me what he considered the wonders
of the place, till want of time compelled me to de-
cline his attentions. Near this point we passed two
dead bodies of beggars, who were brought hither,
in the last stage of life, to die, and to be buried at the
expense of the government, or by the agents of some
>enevolent society. During the excursion we passed
six or seven other dead bodies on the city wall, two of
finch were lying at the entrance of a temple. Bending
)ur course from the northern gate, in a south-east direc-
tion, we passed along a thickly-inhabited part of the
3ity, abounding with temples, some of which compelled
is to descend from the parapet and to re-ascend on the
)ther side of the building. Towards the two eastern
rates, the suburbs retired to a little distance from the
fall, the intermediate space being occupied by wide
spacious paths with a few houses interspersed. The
>rincipal part of the buildings in the suburbs followed
the course of the river, showing the commercial
character of the population. The eastern parts of
154 VISIT TO A COREAN JUNK.
the city seemed to possess the finest private build-
ings, and a more opulent class of inhabitants. The
long range of buildings connected with the depart-
ment of the superintendant of the customs occupied a
considerable extent of space. One fact I noticed,
which may serve to show the extent to which idola-
trous offerings form an essential part of the daily life
of this people. Not only along the streets may be
seen a number of shops, at which scarcely any thing
else is sold but silver paper for offerings ; but also in
a solitary part of the city wall I met with a small stand,
the whole vendible articles of which consisted of fra-
grant sticks, incense, sacred candles, and the substitute
for money made from tinfoil. The whole circuit of the
walls and return to the suburbs occupied about one
hour and a half. The people everywhere showed a
friendly disposition, and the impression of the city was,
on the whole, favourable. The thing which excited
most surprise was to find that for more than half the
circuit of the walls there were scarcely any houses
in their vicinity, and nothing to resemble a regular
street for above a quarter of a mile in some parts ; the
neighbourhood of the walls being apparently inhabited
by an agricultural or horticultural class of people.
Later in the day I visited a Corean junk manned by
Roman-Catholic sailors, and lying in the river off the
custom-house. The circumstances attending the arri-
val of this little vessel possessed more than ordinary
interest. The self-styled captain was a deacon of the
Roman-Catholic Church planted in former times in
Corea, where it has survived the power of successive
persecutions, during one of which his own father and
grandfather had been put to death. The arrival of
ROMISH CHURCH IN COREA. 155
these strangers, with their peculiar garb and high-
peaked caps, furnished an occasion of amusement to
the Chinese in Shanghai. The Coreans soon formed
a subject for the native painters of caricatures; and
grotesque representations of them were to be seen
exposed for sale at the picture-shops. The immediate
object of their visit to Shanghai was to request that a
bishop might be sent back with them from the Popish
Mission near the city. In order to escape the sus-
picion of the Chinese authorities, they feigned to be
driven, by stress of weather and with the loss of a mast,
into the port for refuge, where they pretended to refit
their vessel for a return to their own country. On
my going on board, I was welcomed, in the captain's
absence, by two or three of the crew, into a little nar-
row cabin, screened only by canvass from the elements.
I found three Latin Missals and a Popish Calendar
lying on the table, the greater part of them being
printed in Paris, and one bearing the date 1823.
Although possessing a language of their own, they
could speak Chinese in the Court dialect. They made
frequent signs of the cross as I conversed with them.
Before my departure I sketched out, in Latin, a note
for the captain, giving a short outline of the more pro-
minent truths of the Gospel. Just as I had concluded,
the captain was announced as coming from the shore.
In a few minutes he arrived and cordially greeted me.
He was named Sung-kim, and stated himself to be
twenty-four years of age. He estimated the population
of Corea, his native country, at fourteen millions, about
10,000 of whom were Christians. He said that they
observed the Sabbath-day, but were not rigidly strict
in fasting. In reply to my question, he stated that they
156 THE "HALL or UNITED BENEVOLENCE."
had in Corea only three or four of the Latin books
which I saw on the table ; and that death had taken
from them their bishop and all their priests. He
professed to have brought no cargo, and said that he
intended to take none back on their return. Their
only object in making so long a voyage was to obtain
a bishop for Corea, whom they would convey back in
their junk. As the Romish bishop was now absent
from Shanghai on a secret mission to Peking, the
Coreans were anxiously awaiting his daily-expected
return : and report affirmed that they had taxed their
ingenuity to the utmost, in imposing on the authorities
excuses for delaying their departure. At my invita-
tion the captain read aloud from one of the Latin
Missals. The page from which he read contained an
extravagant eulogium of the Virgin, in which I parti-
cularly noticed the term Mater Dei, shortly after fol-
lowed by .... qua pervia cceli Porta manes, " Mother
of God, who continuest the gate through which we
pass to heaven."
On June 25th we visited the tungjin tang, or " Hall
of United Benevolence." The existence of such insti-
tutions in China is a striking trait in the national
character, and exhibits a measure of natural bene-
volence almost peculiar to the Chinese as a pagan
nation. The Chinese have been for more than 2000
years an isolated people, and yet we behold amongst
them, what Christian writers have in former times
been disposed to doubt or deny, the existence of bene-
volent institutions as the fruits of pagan morality.
The "Hall of United Benevolence" has its ceme-
tery, hospital, and similar institutions in different
parts of the city and suburbs, at which coffins are
THE " FOUNDLING HOSPITAL." 157
provided, and the expenses of burial defrayed for the
unclaimed dead. A few aged and infirm persons, also,
are supplied with relief, the expenses of support and
management being defrayed by private subscriptions.
On entering the court we turned aside into a hall,
where a master was engaged in teaching about twenty
boys, who, with fifteen old men, were the only inmates
of this place. In a little room on the right were nine
coffins quite new, of plain though very substantial
construction, and ready for use at any time. These
were inscribed in Chinese characters, with the name
of the institution, |WJ < ^ tung jin tang, and with
the figures 6382 to 6390 consecutively, being the num-
ber of coffins gratuitously supplied since the com-
mencement of the institution.
From this place we proceeded to the yuh ying tang,
or " Foundling Hospital," which is also supported by
subscriptions, and is intended to receive the female
children of those who are too poor to support their
offspring. At the entrance the Chinese attendants
showed us the little box in which the infant is placed,
as in a kind of drawer, and passed by its relatives
into the interior, a bell being rung to apprise the in-
mates of the arrival of the young stranger. This
explanation of its use, and corresponding gestures of
the attendants, drew forth considerable mirth from
the collected crowd. Two hundred female infants
are said to be received annually. In the principal
hall was a gigantic image of an old woman, with five
infants either in her arms or hanging to her person.
We went through a few wards, and saw six nurses
with the same number of children, most of them under
a year old; the greater part of the children being
18 THE "HALL OF THE LORD OF HEAVEN."
supported away from the hospital, at the expense of
its funds. Each child had a wooden tally, with its
own name and that of the institution inscribed on it,
and kept by its nurse. The superintendant presented
me with a copy of the printed Report of the Institu-
tion, containing nearly a hundred pages.
We went next to visit an old temple called the
Kwan-te-meaou, the " Temple of the Martial God," or,
as it is also commonly termed, the teen-choo tang, the
" Hall of the Lord of Heaven," a Roman-Catholic
church formerly occupying its site. In the time of
the Ming dynasty it was burnt down, and the Chinese
authorities, at a later period, availed themselves of the
unpopularity of the Romanist Missionaries to convert
it into a pagan temple. On the ruin was rebuilt the
present edifice to the honour of Kwan-te, a deified
martial hero, who nourished in the San-kwo, about the
time of the Christian era. The Roman-Catholic
bishop is said to be strenuously exerting his influence
at this time to get it restored to its original purposes,
and to build a cathedral on its site. As we entered,
there were several hundred persons collected to wit-
ness a theatrical exhibition in the outer square. Be-
hind the temple a terrace is said to be still remaining,
from which some of the learned Jesuit Missionaries,
in former times, made their astronomical observa-
tions, by their improvements in which science they
gained such an influence over the Chinese rulers. By
an act of ingratitude, however, no sooner had the
Jesuits framed a calendar for astronomical purposes,
extending forward for centuries, than the Chinese
emperor expelled the men of whose services he was
now independent.
VISIT FROM A COREAN SAILOR. 159
The temple itself possessed nothing remarkable,
except the size and splendour of the idols, that of
Kwan-te occupying a prominent position. A few men
were observed in the interior effecting some repairs
and decorating portions of the temple. There ap-
peared to be, at this time, a revived zeal for beautify-
ing the public buildings at Shanghai, indicating the
thriving trade as well as the thriving superstition of
the inhabitants.
When on the point of embarking for Ningpo, I
went in a boat to make a final visit to the Corean junk.
I took with me a copy of the Gospel of St. Luke in
Chinese, for each of the crew, twelve in number ; and
a copy of the Epistle to the Romans and a manual of
prayers for the captain. On arriving alongside I was
informed that the captain was absent, but the books
were readily received by the crew, who pressed me
by urgent invitations to come on board, which I was
unable to do, as I was in hourly expectation of sail-
ing. About an hour had elapsed after my embarka-
tion, when one of the Corean crew boarded our
vessel, and, with many protestations of respect, begged
permission to return the whole of the books, and to
decline the present from me. The reason, which I
more than suspected, was the subsequent return of the
captain, a Romish deacon, educated by the priests at
Macao, and his unwillingness that his men should re-
ceive what he probably deemed to contain the elements
of Protestant heresy. The motive, however, assigned
by the Corean was, that, in the absence of the captain,
they had no authority to receive any books, and that he
already had some religious books for them. It was not
difficult to see through this flimsy pretext. Before
160 POPISH MARIOLATRY.
his departure I held a brief conversation with him,
being desirous of ascertaining whether he had any
intellectual perception of the more prominent truths
of the Gospel. He soon furnished painful evidence
of the amount of external zeal which may co-exist
with ignorance of the Gospel in its essential truth.
On my asking him to whom a sinner can flee for re-
fuge and pray for forgiveness of sins, he reiterated
the reply, in spite of my remonstrances on the unrea-
sonableness of such a hope, Yay-soo teih moo-tsin,
Mah-le-a, " Jesus's mother, Mary."
A Romanist Missionary subsequently informed me
that the Coreans remained for a sufficient length of
time to accomplish the object of their visit, and took
back a bishop and three priests. The bishop came
from Hong Kong, and had already been seven years a
Missionary in one of the interior provinces.
CHAPTER XII.
ARRIVAL AT NINGPO.
VOYAGE TO NINGPO DESCENT OF THE YANG-TZE-KEANG
BAY OF CHAPOO CHINESE PILOT CITY OF CHIN-HAI
ASCENT OF RIVER AND ARRIVAL AT NINGPO RENEWED
CIVILITY OF CUSTOM-HOUSE OFFICERS PROPOSED LODGING
IN A TAOUIST MONASTERY RENTING A CHINESE HOUSE,
AND ATTENDANT FORMALITIES ACCESS TO THE FAMILY OF
A CHINESE PATRIARCH ABSURD PRINCIPLES OF NATIVE
MEDICINE FACTS ILLUSTRATIVE OF CHINESE IDEAS ON
MARRIAGE SITUATION OF HOUSE THE TOWER OF NINGPO
VISIT TO A MAHOMEDAN MOSQUE RETURN-VISIT OF A
MAHOMEDAN PRIEST A ROMAN-CATHOLIC PATIENT.
ON June 26th we weighed anchor and dropped down
the river with the ebb-tide. Numbers of junks from
Shantung and Tartary, laden with grain, were in the
river, with a multitude of boats, propelled by one or
two sculls, each of which was sometimes of sufficient
size to employ eight or ten persons. Oars seemed to
be a mechanical contrivance either unknown or un-
valued in comparison with the scull. We came to
anchor at Woosung, a heavy gale blowing during the
night from the south-east. The next morning, the
27th, the weather moderated, and the wind slightly
changed, so as to enable us to sail down the Yang-
tze-keang to the east of Gutzlaff's Island. We came
to anchor, during a fog, somewhere near Rocky Island,
M
162 VOYAGE TO NINGPO.
at the opening of the bay which indents the coast of
Keang-soo and Che-keang provinces, and contains two
of the most important ports of the central line of sea-
board Hang-chow-foo, the terminus of the Grand
Canal, and Chapoo, the port to which the Japanese
trading junks are restricted.
The day after, as soon as the fog cleared away, we
weighed anchor, and sailed to the eastward of some
islands forming part of the Chusan group, till we
were again compelled to drop anchor, at 4 P.M., for
the night. The next morning we found ourselves
near the opening of the river which leads to Ningpo,
the entrance of which, however, was a work of danger
and difficulty, from the numerous sunken rocks which
here abound. Being deputed by the captain to act
as an interpreter, I was sent off with a boat's crew to
one of the fishing-boats to obtain a pilot. There being
little wind, the poor fishermen could not have escaped
from our oars, even if they had cherished the wish.
With some difficulty I made them comprehend the na-
ture of my errand ; and by kind words, and assurances
of good treatment, one of them was induced to return
with us to the ship, where he was of some service in
directing our course through this rocky channel. As
we entered the river, the wind suddenly failing, and the
contrary tide running strong, we were compelled to
lie at anchor for several hours off the city of Chin-hai.
The neigbouring hills possessed all the romantic in-
terest of the scenery further south, with the additional
advantage of a fair amount of cultivation, the soil being
divided into parterres of vegetation rising one above
another, and marking the stimulus afforded by neces-
sity to the industry of an excessive population. Two
CITY OF CH1N-HAI. 163
forts, one on either side, guarded the entrance of the
river, which was lined by a long battery of fortifica-
tions, extending half a mile. These were captured
by the British in the late war, and the city itself was
occupied for some months by the troops. It is said
that the battle of Chin-hai was one of the most san-
guinary, next to the capture of Chin-keang-foo, that
took place in the course of the war. Upwards of a
thousand Chinese were slain, being driven down by
the British troops on either side into the river, from
which only two or three hundred could be prevailed
upon to return and receive quarter, on the assurances
of safety given by the interpreter. Large crowds of
people were at this time assembled on the bank
outside the wall to catch a view of us, the arrival of a
foreign vessel being still an event of unfrequent oc-
currence. As we lay among a fleet of junks, a boat
was observed making for our vessel, with a large piece
of cloth, in the form of a flag, suspended from a pole,
and inscribed with Chinese characters, intimating that
they were from the hai-quan, or custom-house. Two
officials requested the production of the ship's pass,
the port from which she had sailed, the nature of her
cargo, and other particulars. The required papers
being produced for their inspection, they were pro-
ceeding to put a further series of queries from a book,
having parallel sentences in Chinese and English,
when I interrupted them by the observation that this
was our Sabbath-day, on which it was our custom to
avoid unnecessary business. This intimation was a
sufficient inducement to them to terminate their in-
quiries, and, with the usual salutations of respect, they
descended to their boat without further questions.
. M 2
]64 ARRIVAL AT NINGFO.
With the evening's tide we proceeded up the river
to the city of Ningpo, twelve miles distant, a con-
tinuous series of villages and temples enlivening the
scenery. The hills at the mouth of the river gra-
dually recede on either side ; so that Ningpo occupies
the centre of an extended plain, the high ground, at
the distance of fifteen miles, rising two or three thou-
sand feet above the valley enclosed by them.
The only foreign vessel lying off the city was a
Scotch bark, close to which we took our position. Few
minutes had elapsed before another party of custom-
house officials made their appearance, and, after a
series of bowings, were proceeding to their interroga-
tions, when I pursued immediately the same course as
at Chin-hai, saying that this was our holy day, and that
we were unwilling to enter on any business till the
following morning, when all the information they
desired would be obtainable, together with the ship's
papers, at the British Consulate. This plea of exemp-
tion was instantly acknowledged as reasonable and
satisfactory ; and the promptness with which they left
the vessel was an additional proof of the willingness
of the Chinese to respect in others that adherence to
principle and customary observances, which they so
rigidly practise themselves.
On the following morning, June 30th, I landed at
the British Consulate. The houses of the few
foreigners resident at Ningpo are situated in a little
suburb on the northern bank of the river, by which
they are separated from the city itself. Here I \vas
hospitably entertained by the Vice-Consul, formerly
a member of the University of Cambridge. During
the next three days I made visits to some Missionary
TAOUIST MONASTERY. 1G5
brethren, whose acquaintance I had formed in the
south of China, especially to two American friends on
the other side of the river, who, for the present, were
lodging in a part of a Taouist temple within the
northern gate of the city. The foundation of this
monastery was of comparatively recent origin, dating
no further back than fifty years, in the reign of Kea-
King, the predecessor of the present emperor. It
forms an assemblage of temples, comprised under the
general name of j^ ^ ^| yew shing quan.
The principal building forms the monastery, in
which six Taouist priests reside, who are remarkable
for little else than their vacant looks, their excessive
ignorance, and the obesity of their persons, which
gives rise to the suspicion that they are not very
rigid in their adherence to the vegetable diet of mo-
nastic rule. In the north-west extremity of the range
of buildings is a small nunnery the frequent appen-
dage of these institutions in which three nuns of ill
repute reside. In the south-west angle is a temple of
ancestors, placed under the superintendence of the
monks, at which, twice in each month, there is a
general attendance of the city-mandarins for worship.
In the south-east corner is another temple, which,
is denominated ~3^ *jj p*j| wan chang ko, being dedi-
cated to a deity of the Taou sect, named wan chang.
In this building my two Missionary friends were do-
miciled ; and we surveyed the other untenanted parts,
with the intention of my securing a lodging in the
temple. The apartments placed at my option ad-
joined a little room, in which was an idol of the god
of the north-star. In my proposed lodging there were
lying several coffins of substantial construction, sent
166 RENTING A CHINESE HOUSE.
hither by superstitious individuals, whose bodies they
were destined hereafter to enclose, under the absurd
belief that the sacred vicinity in which they were
lodged was calculated to ensure long life and prospe-
rity a superstition of which the monks probably were
not anxious to disabuse their minds, in the accession
which it brings to the revenues of the temple.
As, however, I regarded Ningpo as the probable
scene of my future Missionary labours, and was there-
fore desirous, if possible, of securing a residence, in
the midst of the native population, of a more perma-
nent tenure, we strolled into the heart of the city, and
looked at several houses. In this matter I received
valuable assistance from Sze seen-sang, the teacher of
one of the Missionaries, who evinced a great interest
in Christianity. He seemed pleased at my being a
Missionary, and was very active in reducing every
item of expenditure to an economical scale. Several
unsuitable houses were shown to us; and we were
near giving over the hope of success, when a man told
us of a vacant house between the East and the Salt
Gates, which seemed, on examination, likely to suit my
purpose. After two or three days' preliminary nego-
tiations, on July 3d the lease was duly signed by the
chung-jin, or house-agent, and myself, and attested by
one foreigner and one Chinese, in addition to the
Chinese who drew up the document. The terms
were favourable, viz. 9 dollars a month six months'
rent to be paid immediately, as a deposit and a
guarantee against ejection or increase of rent by the
landlord. The deed was torn down the middle, and
each party retained his half, as security. The matter
occupied three hours, with the various little debates
A CHINESE PATRIARCH. 167
and consultations which arose from it : but this was
a rare instance of promptness and despatch for such
an occasion.
July \2th I visited, with a medical Missionary and
his teacher, a Chinese family in the western part of the
city, one of the members of which was dangerously ill.
The old man, the head of the family, received us in a
hall, where a feast of sweetmeats and tea was served to
us. A kind of spirituous liquor, distilled from rice, was
poured out from a teapot into small cups, and handed
to us to taste. The old man kept watching, and re-
plenishing our saucers with sweetmeats and cakes,
which he broke into morsels with his own fingers,
dipping them into a kind of sauce. My friend Sze
seen-sang was, however, annoyed at his excessive
attentions and use of his fingers, telling him that it
was the custom of foreigners to help themselves, and
handing us the chop-sticks for the purpose. The old
gentleman still insisted on his doing the honours of
the occasion ; and our portion was handed to us as
before, in his fingers, dropping with sauce. In the
open space outside were ranged a number of dwarf
trees, which the Chinese show much patience and
skill in restraining within the limits of a stunted
growth. There were little shrubs, resembling the fir
and the oak, and possessing all the proportions and
beautiful foliage of large trees, compressed to a dimi-
nutive size, scarcely exceeding eighteen inches in
height.
We were soon after summoned to survey the melan-
choly scenes of the sick chamber. Under the same
roof lived the patriarch and his descendants to the third
generation, with the wives of his sons and grandsons.
168 ABSURD PRINCIPLES OF NATIVE MEDICINE.
The ladies of the family stood at a door, and eagerly
stole secret glances at the foreigners, quickly retreating
on the discovery that they were observed. One of the
sons was lying on a bed, afflicted with dropsy, under
the effects of which he was suffering acutely, his body
being swollen to twice the natural size. The aged
mother supported his languid frame, and betrayed the
tender emotions of maternal affection; while the father
expatiated, in sonorous tones and with wild gestures,
on the symptoms of the disease. The native prac-
titioners had been pursuing their irrational mode of
treatment, on the supposition that it was a little glo-
bule of coagulated blood which was circulating in the
body, and must be expelled before any hope of reco-
very could be cherished. For this purpose, among
other specifics, toads had been prescribed for the
patient. The real seat of disease appeared to be the
liver ; but the serious stage of the disease, and their
unwillingness to act decidedly against the course pre-
scribed by the native quacks, rendered foreign medi-
cal skill almost useless. The poor fellow died about a
fortnight afterwards.
On returning to the water side, we found the
weather so boisterous, and the waves running so high,
that the Chinese boatmen would not venture across.
I had therefore to remain in the city with my Ameri-
can friends, and slept in the Taouist monastery, in a
room adjoining the great hall of Confucius. I was
more successful in my attempt to cross over early the
next day.
July 14kth I had a long conversation with a well-
informed Chinese, named Sing, an attache of the
British Consulate, who, in the late war, acted as a
MARRIAGE-CUSTOMS OF CHINESE. J69
paymaster in the Chinese army, for which the prin-
cipal reward he received was the privilege of wearing
a gold button on his cap, the decoration of Mandarins
of the three lowest ranks. His relation to the British,
and knowledge of the English language, rendered him
a person of some importance to the Mandarins, by
whom he was frequently sent for to explain business
relating to foreigners. On the strength of his in-
creasing consequence and augmented income, he
lately determined to marry ; but a strange mistake
occurred to mar the joyous festivity of his marriage.
On the occasion of a procession of native females to
some temple, the daughter of a neighbouring gentle-
man had caught the eye of Sing, who had thereupon
become sensible to her attractions, and had employed
the usual services of a chiwg-jin, or go-between. This
office is generally discharged by an elderly lady,
familiar with the usages of such occasions, by whom
the customary presents are sent, and the engagement
is duly contracted. Unfortunately for Sing, the lady
who was the object of his affection was the fourth
daughter, while he, in his simplicity, believed her to
be the fifth. The match was made in accordance
with this error; and on the nuptial day the bride
was carried in a gaily-decorated sedan-chair, with the
usual pomp and band of musicians, from the house of
her father to the house of the bridegroom. The
bride, lifted by two matrons over the threshold of her
new abode, was now, for the first time, introduced to
her future lord. The nuptials were on the point of
consummation, by the ceremony of drinking together
the " cup of alliance ;" but here Sing's joy received
an unexpected interruption. Instead of welcoming
170 CHINESE POLYGAMY.
the beautiful damsel whom he had before seen, he had
the mortification of beholding her younger sister, of
very plain exterior, and with personal attractions consi-
derably diminished, in his estimation, by the marks of
small-pox. At first he proposed that she should
return to her father's house ; but as she objected, he
deemed it expedient, on further reflection, to bear the
disappointment with patience, and is said to be gra-
dually reconciled to his lot.
The Chinese do not scruple to have as many wives
as they can afford to purchase, although a large
number sometimes operates to retard the advance-
ment of the individual. Sing stated to me, that, a
short time since, there was a military Mandarin of the
first class, Le ta-jin, holding the rank of a general at
Ningpo. His father had performed, thirty years ago,
some distinguished services to the State, for which
the Emperor had ennobled him and his family to
the fourth generation, with the rank of /f0 pih, or
" earl." His son, the general, had ten wives ; which
circumstance being reported to the Emperor, excited
a distrust of his official ability ; and he was dismissed
from his military command to return to his native
province of Fokeen. The reason assigned for his
dismissal was, that he was too much engaged in
domestic affairs.
Sing is an able and clever Chinese, but possesses very
lax moral principles. He frankly confessed that the
Confucians do not believe in a future state of rewards
and punishments, saying, with a contemptuous tone,
that they left such notions to the Budhists. According
to his view, Confucius left no instructions respecting
the Deity, and taught his followers, that such things
ATHEISM OF CONFUCIANS. 171
as worshipping idols were matters of indifference, to
be decided altogether by the tastes or interests of
the individual. The clung loo, "the straight way,"
was the only path of moral duty of any importance,
in the estimate of the sage.
On July 16th, after some delay caused by indisposi-
tion, I was safely inducted into my new residence
within the city- wall, which almost touched the back
of my house. The houses adjacent to my residence
were tenanted by persons of the worst character,
which was a source of continual annoyance to me, as I
had frequent melancholy proofs of their low estimate
of European morality. My rebuke of one of this
class created some surprise. This quarter of the city
was, however, favourable for acquiring the local
dialect; and my house was within a few hundred
yards of the Tung mun keae, or "East-gate street,"
the principal street of the city. My only foreign
neighbours within the city were two American Mis-
sionaries, lodging in a temple above a mile distant.
Separated to a great extent from intercourse with
Christians, I nevertheless found solitude to be pleasant
and profitable. The heat soon began to be intense ;
and the only hour during which it was safe to venture
out of doors was about sunset. At this season of the
evening I usually took a short walk on the city-wall
adjacent to my house.
Occasionally, as I sat in a little recess of the ram-
part, the Chinese labourers would stop to look at the
books, which I generally carried with me for distribu-
tion ; but scarcely one man in five could read a cha-
racter. A few of the more respectable class of trades-
men and writers in the public offices would sometimes
172 QUESTIONS OF CHINESE NEIGHBOURS.
remain questioning me. The inquiries generally
referred to the nature of my objects, my employments,
my residence, the number of my domestics, the num-
ber of times I ate rice in a day, and many similar
matters, by which they sought to estimate my impor-
tance. A few of them afterwards paid me a visit at
my house. Two old men, who soon began to claim
an acquaintance with me, used to ask me about the
cross, and the difference between my religion and that
of the Roman Catholics, whom they had seen in the
neighbouring town of Tze-ke.
On July 23d I varied my usual evening route, by
paying a visit, with my teacher, to the pagoda com-
monly called Teen-fung tah, " The tower of celestial
wind." After passing through several court-yards of
a neighbouring Budhist monastery, I at last found
myself in the open space, in which this lofty tower
stands. The ground was overgrown with thick herb-
age ; and the large number of tombs, placed, accord-
ing to the custom of the central and northern pro-
vinces, above the level of the soil, gave it almost
the appearance of a European burial-ground. The
building is hexagonal, and has seven stories. A suc-
cession of wooden stairs within conducts the visitor
to the highest story ; and as he gradually ascends, the
view from the windows of each story is increasingly
grand and magnificent. Beneath his feet lie the living
masses of a populous city, teeming with busy toil.
Every variety of form, size, and colour helps to heighten
the novel effect, and imparts a feeling of romance to
the objects before him. The numerous temples reared
by native superstition, the curiously-devised buildings,
the grotesque style of architecture, the elaborately-
TOWER OF NINGPO. 173
formed roofs, the strangely-sculptured arches, the
various emblems of civic authority, and the irregular
range of public buildings, form one successive group
of motley objects, as far as the eye extends. The
walls, which begirt the city at the distance of one or
two miles on either side, are relieved from their
monotonous appearance by the watch-towers which
surmount the gates. On three sides the city is sur-
rounded by streams of considerable breadth, into
which numerous dykes conduct the drains and refuse
of the place. To the east lies the river, with an
assemblage of native junks on its waters. Beyond the
walls an extended plain stretches forward amid a
fertile and productive country, till, at the distance of
ten or twenty miles, the bold line of hills, rising in the
sky, gives a completeness to the scene. Here, if any-
where, will the traveller, as he views this moving
panorama of life, realize the feeling, that he is in a
new world of men and things.
As we descended, a priest was standing below to
receive his perquisite of a few cash for his superin-
tendence of the building. The pagoda is said to have
been built about 900 years ago, during the How Chow
dynasty ; and a vague superstition in the power of the
tutelary gods of the city was probably the sole origin
of an edifice, which remote generations have viewed
with interest. It has suffered a larger than average
proportion of disasters from casualties and the ravages
of the elements. Its exterior bears the mark of age
in the half-tottering appearance of the whole edifice.
The interior is in a better state of preservation, having
been repaired, about six years ago, by a Chinese gen-
tleman, of some local celebrity, named Wang, who is
174 PUBLIC SPIRIT OF WEALTHY CHINESE.
said to have expended 3000 dollars on the building.
His public spirit and liberality have been emulated
by another wealthy Chinese, named Fung, who has
amassed an immense fortune by his junks trading in
the Eastern Ocean, and now resides at a little dis-
tance from the city, at a place called Tze-ke. There
he seeks to enjoy the comforts and splendour of
wealth, and the more substantial luxury of doing
good, in the Chinese estimate of the matter, by re-
pairing temples, beautifying public buildings, and
mending the roads in the vicinity.
The pagoda is more than 100 feet in height, and is
ascended by deep steps, ninety-two in number, to the
uppermost story, above which it is roofed over on the
top. The priest, who was completely deaf, seemed
to possess no respect in the minds of the surrounding
crowd. The Gospel of St. John and the Epistle of
St. James were left with him, as a memorial of our
visit. Nothing can be more humiliating than the
general condition of these men, who by their poverty,
by the absence of the means of an honest livelihood,
or by being sold in infancy, have become attached
to the monastic institutions.
We proceeded thence to visit the hwui-hwui tang,
or Mahomedan temple, in Woo-se, near the famous
lake in the interior of the city. The building was
not extensive, but had an air of peculiar neatness.
Some flowers and shrubs were tastefully arranged in
the principal court, into which two or three dwellings
opened, the mosque itself (if it may be dignified with
such a name) occupying the upper end of the court,
and being slightly raised. The old priest, a man of fine
intelligent appearance and lively manners, received me
MAHOMEDAN MOSQUE. 175
and my teacher with great politeness. The Mahome-
dans are a small body, having come to Ningpo from
the province of Shantung about 200 years ago, and they
now number only about sixty-seven persons of all ages
and both sexes. They are Mongul Tartars by descent,
and are engaged principally in trade. Some of them
are employed as writers in the public offices ; and there
are also a few soldiers among their number. The old
priest was a native of Shantung, having been sent for
thence to Ningpo, forty years ago, according to the
custom of supplying the priesthood, on a vacancy,
from their original province. After we had taken some
tea together, and made an exchange of some trifling
presents, he sent his grandson to bring some Arabic
books and portions of the Koran, which he appeared
to read with great fluency. His knowledge of geogra-
phical names exceeded that of the generality of
Chinese to be met with in the north of China. He
mentioned the countries in which his religion pre-
vailed, among which he named Bokhara, Madras,
Turkey, and several places in Arabia. We adjourned
into the temple, which was written over with sacred
sentences from the Koran, and had a little ark for the
sacred books, with a moveable pulpit. I had pre-
viously supplied him and another Mahomedan with
one of the Gospels and Epistles in Chinese ; but was
surprised to find, on asking the priest to read some
Chinese inscriptions in the temple, that he was unable
to decipher a single character, though he speaks the
language very well, and has been during forty
years a resident in Ningpo. He mentioned Nanking
as the place where the professors of Mahomedanism
are most numerous, computing them, at that place, to
176 RETURN-VISIT OF A MAIIOMEDAN PRIEST.
exceed 20,000. On my return, I took a walk around
the Woo-se lake and its fine assemblage of public
buildings. A cool, refreshing breeze rippled its sur-
face ; and the comparative quietude of the spot, and
the open spaciousness of the scene, after the close
noisy streets through which we had been borne, im-
parted a soothing influence to the mind.
On the next day, Fung, the Mahomedan priest, re-
turned my visit. One of his Mahomedan friends had
lately come from Shantung, and brought thence three
small Tartar horses for sale. His friend was thinking
of proceeding with them to Chusan, and the old man
wished to have my advice on the expediency of this
course, and the probability of finding a purchaser
among the English residents. I suggested to him that
the approaching evacuation of Chusan by the British
troops, at the end of the Chinese year, was likely to
increase the difficulty of sale.
We afterwards had some conversation on more
general topics, which I was enabled to carry on by
the help of my teacher, Le seen-sang, and by the slow
enunciation of the priest himself. He spoke of the
great strictness of his sect in abstaining from intoxica-
ting liquors, and said he was invested with the power
of inflicting corporal chastisement on any of his people
addicted to intemperance. He next dwelt on the fre-
quent religious ablutions which they practised, and
which he seemed to regard as a mark of their devout-
ness. To this it was replied, that Christians did not
neglect outward washings, but that the object of the
Gospel was to cleanse the inward man ; and that if
the heart were right, outward conduct would be right.
On my stating that all men were naturally possessed
TOPICS OF CONVERSATION. 177
of wicked hearts, and quoting the beginning of the San-
tze-king,for the purpose of denying the truth of its state-
ment, that " man's disposition at the commencement is
originally good," the priest and my teacher both ex-
claimed, in their surprise, " How can a little child be
wicked !" I proceeded to instance the truth of my
assertion, in the proneness of children to anger, even
in infancy, and their increasing wickedness with their
increasing years. How then (I asked) could the heart
be made good ? How could sin be forgiven ? Jesus
could effect both, and the worshipper of Jesus became
happy. The old man spoke of the zeal of his sect
against idolatry, and their breaking of images when-
ever they had the power. He asked if we had any
images, and expressed his satisfaction with my reply.
Once or twice he said, that as the holy day of Chris-
tians differed only in being two days later in each week
from the holy day of Mahomedans, our religions were
almost the same ; a statement of which I could not
avoid as often denying the truth. He took an oppor-
tunity of ridiculing the ignorance and hypocrisy of the
Budhist monks, and rose from his seat to mimic their
uplifted hands, closed eyes, muttered sounds, and fre-
quent prostrations. As he left me he said something
about Peh-to-lo (Peter), of which I could not gather
the meaning, but considered it to refer to the Teen-
choo-keaou, or Roman Catholics. In reply to my in-
quiries, I was informed there were not more than two
or three of that sect in Ningpo. My teacher thought
that there were more than that number, who clandes-
tinely worshipped the Lord of Heaven, but were
afraid of persecution.
A few days afterwards, as I was sitting at the Mis-
N
J78 ROMAN-CATHOLIC PATIENT.
sionary Hospital, conducted on a small scale within
the north gate of the city, a man presented himself
for medical treatment, who had come from the neigh-
bouring town of Tze-ke, and whom we discovered to
be a Roman-Catholic. He had a small medal sus-
pended from his neck, which, in reply to our question,
he plainly said he worshipped. The medal was about
the size of a farthing, and had on one side a represen-
tation of the cross, with the Roman letter M (Mary),
instead of the usual letters I H S. On the reverse
was an image of the Virgin, surrounded by some Chi-
nese characters.
CHAPTER XIII.
EXCURSION INTO THE INTERIOR.
PERSONAL ADVENTURES ON THE JOURNEY RURAL SCENERY
ARRIVAL AT THE BUDHIST MONASTERY OF TEEN-TUNG
VISIT TO THE ABBOT LIBRARY RELIGIOUS HOPES OF
BUDH1SM NEIGHBOURING VILLAGES AND OUT-TEMPLES
BUDHIST ROSARY A VILLAGE SCHOOLMASTER RETURN TO
NINGPO THE "CHING-WANG-MEAOU" TEMPLES IN HO-
NOUR OF CONFUCIUS VISITS TO A SIAMESE VESSEL.
THE increasing violence of the heat produced in me
such debilitating effects, that, on July 30th, I availed
myself of the kindness of a friend, who accompanied
me to a cool retreat on the hills, about twenty-one
miles distant, where there was a large Budhist Monas-
tery. The regulations established at Ningpo re-
specting the boundaries are those of locality and not
of time. The scene of our intended visit c was com-
prised within the limits of the district, in which
foreigners are permitted to roam ; so that we were
not restricted by any necessity of returning to Ningpo
within any given day, or even any number of days.
We set out at 8 P.M., in a boat covered over
on the top. After proceeding up the river on the
eastern side of the city, about half a mile, we were
detained some time at a barrier separating the river
from a canal, which we had to enter. Here we landed,
and remained on the bank, while six Chinese were
N2
180 PERSONAL ADVENTURES ON THE JOURNEY.
engaged in slowly winding round, by means of a
clumsily-contrived capstan, the rope which was at-
tached to the boat. In this manner they gradually
drew it up over an inclined plane, from the top of
which it was easily launched, by its own weight, two
or three feet into the canal on the other side. On the
whole, it was a good substitute for a lock. The
clamour and scolding of our men, who assisted in
hauling our boat the next few miles, effectually pre-
vented our obtaining any rest from sleep. The bridges
were numerous, and at not a few of them our impe-
tuous haulers, heedless of the vociferating cautions of
the boatmen, brought our mast into contact with the
arch, and precipitated both the mast and the towing-
line into the water. At one point we were hailed by
some soldiers at a watch-station, when our boy held
up my companion's lantern, inscribed with his title
and office, as a proof of our respectability, and we
were allowed to pass on. About 1 A.M. we arrived
at the terminus of the canal, from which our route lay
over the hills. We had to wait for two hours till
chair-bearers and luggage-carriers could be procured,
at this unseasonable hour of the night, from a neigh-
bouring village. At last, after marshalling our retinue
of followers in a long shed, in which was a strange
idol of some female divinity, we set out for our desti-
nation, the woodland hills of Teen-Tung. Our chairs
were very simple contrivances, consisting merely of
two bamboo-poles, joined together by a small cross-
pole at either end and in the middle. A small board,
suspended by two pieces of cord from the central part,
answered the purpose of a seat; and a cross-stick,
similarly suspended still lower before it, served as a
RURAL SCENERY. 181
rest for the feet. The cross-pole, which connected the
bamboos in the middle of their length, answered also
the purpose of a rest for the back. We set out on our
ascent over the hills, each of us borne on the shoulders
of two sturdy Chinese villagers on these simple vehi-
cles, which enabled us to see the country and to catch
the breeze. For about three miles our path lay over
a beautiful country, as far as we could catch a glimpse
of its general features by the star-light, leading us by
a gradual ascent to the top of a high hill. On one
side was an old half-dilapidated pagoda, and on the
other a Budhist temple, with three priests. The bell
of the latter was sounding for their idolatrous matins,
as we halted to rest in an adjoining building, which
served as a public place of rest. From this point we
descended along a causeway, which was regularly
paved, and divided into steps to facilitate the descent.
On either side, as the approach of dawn enabled us to
gain a clearer view of the country, the hills, covered
with coppices of bamboo and fir-trees, bore, in many
parts, the appearance of an English rural scene. Two
miles of valley stretched before us from the bottom of
the hill, containing little village homesteads, with a
rivulet here and there murmuring in its passage over
the pebbly channel. Rice-fields occupied the space
between the hills on our right and left, little temples,
ancestral tombs, and arches, lending also a variety to
the scene. At the end of the valley we entered a long
winding avenue of tall trees, which cast their sombre
shade around us, preparing our mind for the mystic
retreats which superstition here holds out, in all the
stillness of solitude, to its votaries. On three sides,
lofty hills, clad with verdant foliage to their summit
182 BUDHIST MONASTERY AT TEEN-TUNG.
hemmed in the view. Fish-ponds on the left, covered
with water-lilies and lotus-flowers, found an outlet for
their pent-up waters in a little cascade on the right.
A deep ravine intimated the violence with which this
mountain-torrent, at certain seasons of the year, rolls
down its impetuous waters. The trees were some of
them nearly two feet in diameter ; and were in some
places occupied by an idol, for the reception of which
an opening had been made into the bark. Suddenly
the beautiful assemblage of temples, in all their ro-
mantic novelty, burst upon our view, with the gaudily-
painted roofs, and fantastically-carved ridges. We
passed over the large outer approach, with its spa-
cious piece of water, into the principal entrance, from
which courts in succession opened before us into other
quadrangles of temples. After exploring the various
parts of the monastery in the hope of finding suitable
quarters, we at length fixed our lodging in a couple
of rooms usually set apart for visitors, into which our
luggage was promptly conveyed.
We had not been there many minutes before we
were waited on by a mmiber of the priests in succes-
sion, to congratulate us on our arrival, and possibly to
congratulate themselves on the probable addition to
their perquisites. After a temporary rest, we went to
pay our respects to the abbot, who received us with
great politeness, and invited us to be seated. As we
came upon him unexpectedly, he watched for an
opportunity of slipping out of the room, and soon
returned with a more dignified priestly robe. He
told us that he was fifty-four years of age, and a native
of one of the distant provinces ; that the monastery
over which he presided was founded in the time of
INTERVIEW WITH THE ABBOT. 183
the Chin dynasty ; and that the abbot was elected
every three years. He asked me my age and my
country. In reference to the latter, he first asked me
if I was a Spaniard. He then inquired if I was an
English Mandarin ; and on my replying in the nega-
tive, asked me my object in coming to China. I told
him that I had come as a chuen keaou, or " propagator
of religion." He then asked me if I came to China as a
chuen hwui-hwui keaou, or " propagator of the Maho-
medan religion." On my saying that I came to pro-
pagate the religion of Jesus, he again, after a little
consideration, inquired if my religion was the same as
the teen-choo keaou, or " religion of the Lord of
Heaven." After his curiosity had in some degree
been satisfied, the abbot, in his turn, replied to my
inquiry respecting the origin and object of this mo-
nastic institution. He said that it was founded in
order that people might retire thither and make their
hearts good. I told him that our religious doctrines
could make a man's heart good, and begged him to
accept some of our sacred books. He received some
tracts, and a copy of one of the gospels. I presented
him also with a Christian Almanac, containing several
maps, which furnished a theme of great interest, and
led me to explain to him the relative sites of Britain
and America, and the extensive possessions of the
former in different parts of the world. Before the
close of our interview, the abbot assented, with appa-
rent readiness, to the proposal of my coming to reside
some time in the monastery before the end of the
summer.
After leaving the abbot's apartments, we proceeded
to make a more minute survey of the different parts
184 LIBRARY.
of the monastery. In one of the courts, a number of
men were engaged in drying in the sun many hundred
volumes of books. Near this place we observed the
library ; and in a little room close by we met a soli-
tary student, who was so absorbed in his subject, that
he only took a glance at us for a few moments, and
then pursued his studies, so as to be again apparently
lost to a consciousness of external things. More than
a hundred priests dwell in the temple. The greater
portion of these monks are either brought to the
temple in childhood, by their needy relatives, or have
been driven to find an asylum within its walls, by
their poverty or crime, in later years. The priests
themselves acknowledged to me that this was often
the case. One old priest, above eighty years of age,
told me that those priests, who came from a dis-
tance, had almost invariably fled from their home on
account of crime. Here these wretched specimens of
humanity live together in idleness. No community of
interest, no ties of social life, no objects of generous
ambition, beyond the satisfying of those wants which
bind them to the cloister, help to diversify the mono-
tonous current of their daily life. Separated by a
broad line of demarkation from the rest of society
and bound by vows to a life of celibacy and asceti-
cism, they are cut off from the ordinary enjoyments
of one world, without any well-founded hope of
a better life. The greater part of these wretched
men saunter about with an idiotic smile and vacant
look, and appear little removed in intellect above the
animal creation. Only a few seem raised by mental
culture above the generality, and exhibit a refinement
of mind and manner. It is probable that some of
RELIGIOUS HOPES OF BUDHISM. 185
these have been driven to seek solace in this retreat
from the sorrows of life, or from the anguish of re-
morse. By means of self-righteous asceticism they
hope to be delivered from the grosser elements which
form the compound being, man ; and to be assimi-
lated to, and at length finally absorbed into, the im-
material substance of the holy Budh. For this pur-
pose they abstain from animal food, and repeat their
daily routine of O-me-tofuh, till the requisite amount
of purity and merit has been gained, and the more
devout are enabled to revel in the imaginary paradise
of absorption, or, in other words, of annihilation.
This is the grand hope of Budhism : this is the only
stimulus to present exertion which it offers. The
material part of man is to be purged away ; and, after
transmigration through certain stages of animal life,
more or less numerous in proportion to the guilt or
merit of the individual, the soul is at last taken into
the deity, and becomes a part of Budh himself. How
glorious, in the contrast with such meagre hopes, are
the substantial realities which the Gospel reveals !
1 John iii. 1 3.
In the evening we proceeded, in chairs, about three
miles across the fields, and over some of the woods, to
a temple called Seaou Teen-Tung. This, and some
other temples which we visited, were out-stations of
the monastery, with a few resident priests, who had
their daily allowance from the mother institution. In
one of them we were shown the burial-place of the seve-
ral abbots of the monastery. In every place which we
visited the priests brought us some peculiar tea, grown
in the neighbourhood, of a rare and expensive kind.
They were very anxious to cultivate an acquaintance.
186 VILLAGES AND OUT-TEMPLES.
and to receive books. The scenery of the country
over which we returned to the monastery was very
picturesque. Little hills and valleys alternately suc-
ceeded each other, with their busy population quietly
pursuing, on all sides, their work of daily toil. At every
point the inmates of each house, male and female, old
and young, ran out to see the strangers, and, in most
instances, welcomed us with good-natured smiles. In
one place the path was so narrow and precipitous,
that one false step of the bearers, or breaking of the
bamboo-poles which supported our weight, would
have thrown us above one hundred feet into the
ravine below. We arrived at our lodging in the
monastery, having every reason to be pleased with the
population and the beautiful scenery of the villages
which we had explored.
At an early hour on the next morning, the abbot
and the superintending priest from Seaou Teen-Tung
returned our call, and sat for some time with us, till
they discovered that we had not yet taken our morn-
ing meal ; when they left, with many apologies for
their early intrusion. In the course of the day one of
the priests, who wore a rosary, which attracted my no-
tice, in a very gracious manner presented it to me.
Being afterwards afraid that he should receive no pre-
sent from me in return, beyond the books I gave him,
he paid me a visit at a later hour of the day, and exhi-
bited many symptoms of anxiety. He told my boy that
it had cost him 1000 cash, and had been purchased at
Nanking. One little priest, about nine years old,
seemed to be a pet of the abbot. He looked forward,
with ardent expectation, 'to the age of sixteen, when
he would have his head entirely shaven, and be
A VILLAGE SCHOOLMASTER. 187
inducted into the full privileges of the priesthood.
He soon began to attach himself to our party ; and, as
he possessed much vivacity and intelligence, we had
him continually with us, deeming it necessary, how-
ever, to keep a good watch over any articles of our
property within his reach, which he begged for most
importunately.
Before the sun was high, we took a morning ride,
in our chairs, to the neighbouring village of Teen-
tung-keae. We sat some time in a school, among
master and pupils. The former took from a box a
European print, for us to examine, which he seemed
highly to prize. The drawing was a representation
of the Prince Consort of the British Queen. The seen-
sang said that it was an Englishman who had given
him the picture which he so much valued ; and beyond
this he had no knowledge of the donor.
In the evening we set out on our return to the city
of Ningpo. After two hours we arrived at the canal,
and, embarking in our boat, reached the barrier which
leads into the river at Ningpo about the hour of mid-
night. Here we were delayed till sunrise by a strong
gale of wind. Soon after daylight we left the boat,
and proceeded in chairs through the military exer-
cising-ground to a floating bridge of boats, over which
we had to pass to the city. This bridge consisted of
a series of long platforms, or stages, each resting on
two boats, and joining, by a few moveable planks, to
the next platform, similarly supported, forming alto-
gether a distance of 150 yards across. After crossing
this bridge, and passing along a street a few hundred
yards in the suburbs, we entered the city by the
188 TEMPLES IN HONOUR OF CONFUCIUS.
eastern gate ; and in a few minutes I arrived at my
house.
A few days after my return from Teen-Tung, I
visited the Ching-wang meaou, the principal temple of
the city, at which the Mandarins are accustomed, at
the commencement and in the middle of each month,
to assemble for a formal invocation of the tutelary
divinities of the place. The idols were exquisitely
adorned, and the various courts, into which I was suc-
cessively ushered, gave an air of splendour to these
establishments. This temple, as also the two temples
of Confucius, to which I thence directed my course,
had a large space of ground attached, with ornamental
ponds and bridges. A few venerable Chinese were
sitting in various parts of these retreats from busy
life, apparently absorbed in the recollection of by-
gone years. In the lesser temple of Confucius a num-
ber of tablets, in trios, were hung round the principal
hall, in place of the usual triads of idols. The only
image was that of Confucius, which represented the
sage as a man of venerable aspect, with white hair
and flowing beard, wearing a square black cap, and
holding in his hand a small wooden tablet, which was
inscribed with some mystic characters. A pot of
incense-ashes lay before the image, the remains of
some recent offering. In the larger of the temples,
devoted to the memory of the sage, which was situated
near the Salt Gate, no image of any kind was to be
seen.
About this time I paid occasional visits to a
Siamese junk lying in the river, off the east gate of
the city. On my boarding her, several groups of Chi-
VISITS TO A SIAMESE JUNK. 189
nese were observed, chiefly engaged in gambling and
smoking. The vessel had three masts, and a spacious
poop, with a cabin below, into which I was conducted.
The captain and supercargo were the only Siamese
connected with the vessel, which was said to belong
to the king of Siam, though manned by Chinese
sailors. The two Siamese were on shore when I
visited the vessel. The cargo consisted of Brazil
wood for dyeing, cocoa-nuts, and the general produce
of the Straits of Malacca. At the end of the cabin, an
altar, gaily decked out with gilt ornaments, furnished
an instance of the widely-extended empire of super-
stition. At the period of my last visit, before em-
barking for Chusan, I took with me a carefully-
assorted package of tracts, which I hoped might even-
tually find their way to the kingdom of Siam. On my
appearing on the deck, two Chinese were engaged in
folding some gilt paper into the shape of Sycee bul-
lion, and making other preparations for offerings to
an idol placed before the poop. I proceeded to the
work of distribution, and found several able and will-
ing at once to peruse the books. The two Chinese
soon began to beat gongs, and to burn the gilt paper
before the idol, which was a signal for the whole crew
to assemble on the spot. After the completion of
some superstitious observances, they separated into
little groups, for their principal meal, in different
parts of the deck. The principal gong-beater pa-
tiently bore the interruption caused by my remon-
strance, while his whole manner showed, amid this
outward display of offerings, how feeble was the real
hold of idolatry on his mind. On many such occa-
sions, the entire absence of any indication of anger
190 INFLUENCE OF IDOLATRY.
at having their prejudices shocked by a solitary
foreigner could not but leave the general impression,
that it is the force of custom, rather than a sense of
the supernatural, which renders the practice of ido-
latry popular among the Chinese.
CHAPTER XIV.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF NINGPO.
TOPOGRAPHY LOCAL MAGISTRATES SYSTEM OF PROVINCIAL
GOVERNMENT DISGRACE AND RUIN OF FORMER MANDARINS
EFFECTS OF THE BRITISH WAR ON RULERS AND PEOPLE
ATTEMPT OF THE CHINESE TO RECAPTURE THE CITY LITE-
RARY REPUTATION OF NINGPO PRIVILEGES OF SCHOLARS
NATIVE PRODUCTS AND EMPLOYMENTS OF INHABITANTS
FORMER SPLENDOUR OF THE PLACE FACILITIES AS A
MISSIONARY STATION CLIMATE MORAL CONDITION OF
PEOPLE RECAPITULATION.
IT may be convenient in this place to subjoin a general
description of the city of Ningpo, and the character
of its inhabitants, to the irregular accounts to be
gathered from the preceding journal. Ningpo is
situated in north latitude 29 55', and in east longi-
tude 121 22' ; and contained, in former times, a Euro-
pean factory, which was brought to a termination
by the violent excesses of the foreigners, and the
growing jealousy of the Chinese. It is the capital
city of a foo or department of that name, and is
situated in the province of Che-keang, of which the
principal city is Hang- chow, distant about eighty
miles in a north-west direction. At the latter place
the governor of the province resides, who is subordi-
nate to the tsung-tuh or viceroy of the united pro-
vinces of Che-keang and Fokeen. Foo-chow, the
192 LOCAL MAGISTRATES.
capital of the latter province, is the seat of the vice-
regal government. Thus three of the five consular
ports in China, viz. Ningpo in Che-keang, and Foo-
chow and Amoy in Fokeen, are comprised in the
government of the same viceroy. The local govern-
ment of Ningpo consists of a taou-tai, who, at the pre-
sent time, is a Mandarin of the third rank, and a
native of Nanking, named Ching che-ke. His govern-
ment may, for convenience of terms, be denominated
a prefecture, and includes, in addition to the depart-
ment of Ningpo, those also of Shaou-hing and Tai-
chew, situated respectively about sixty miles to the
west and south of Ningpo.
The second magistrate in importance and power is
the che-foo, whose authority extends over the depart-
ment of Ningpo alone. The present che-foo is Le
shoo-ling, a native of Shantung province, and an
officer of the fourth class. Each foo or department,
also, is subdivided into a certain number of keen or
minor districts, each of which is governed by a sub-
ordinate municipal officer named the che-heen. This
officer has two co-adjutors or deputies, respectively
called the tso-tang and yew-tang (literally, the "left
hall" and the "right hall"); the former being superior,
and occupying the hall on the left side of the courts
of justice, which side is the place of honour among
the Chinese. As the department of Ningpo contains
six districts, there are, in addition to the che-heen or
district-magistrate of Ningpo Proper, those also of
Tze-ke, Fung-fava, Teang-san, Chin-hai, and Ting-hai
the capital of Chusan. The present che-heen of Ningpo
is a native of Fokeen, and an officer of the fifth class,
named Yih-kwan. So complete in all its detailed
DISGRACE OF FORMER RULERS.
193
ramifications is the organization of police, which 3000
years of national cohesion have consolidated into the
present system. The civil Mandarins are never pro-
moted to the government of a district of which they
are natives. They can seldom speak the dialect of
the place which they govern, and are compelled,
therefore, to employ an interpreter. From this
diversity of local dialects has arisen the general pre-
valence of the dialect of the imperial capital, as the
common medium of intercourse between the officers
of government throughout the Empire. The nominal
stipend of the Mandarins is small, and has given rise
to many abuses in the existence of bribes and extor-
tions, by which they contrive to raise themselves to a
scale of affluence commensurate with their rank.*
Many of them are, nevertheless, poor, and the furniture
of their houses is generally of an inexpensive kind.
The events of the British war brought disgrace and
ruin on the Mandarins who were then in power. The
deposed taou-tai, Loo ta-laou-yay, was with difficulty
* Stipends of Mandarins, according to information derived from
two independent sources.
I. A LITERARY TEACHER, A SEW-TSA1 II. A CHINESE GENTLEMAN NAMED
ADVANCED.
tsung-tuh. . 1 2,000 taels a year
10,000
8000
5000
3000 .
foo-yuen.
taou-tai .
che-foo. . .
che-heen.
CHANG.
taou-tai.
che-foo . .
che-heen
. 500 taels a month
.250
.150
A tael is equal to about 6s. 3d. sterling. The above probably
includes some fees in addition to stipend actually paid from the
Government. Making an allowance for the difference in the value
of money, we may regard the highest stipend as equal to ^10,000
a-year in England.
O
194 CHARACTER OF PEOPLE.
saved from capital punishment by the petition of the
inhabitants, and was appointed, after degradation from
all his honours and emoluments, to assist the present
taou-tai in his civic duties. He is, however, slowly re-
covering the imperial favour, has been already partially
restored to his former honours, and is likely to become
the che-heen of Ting-hai, on the cession of Chusan by
the British. The deposed che-foo, Shoo laou-yay, has
not been so fortunate. He has been deprived of all his
honours, and is compelled, as a penalty for his cowar-
dice in fleeing from the city on the approach of the
British troops, to serve in the subordinate post of
superintendant of the repairs of the city wall. The
deposed che-heen, Hwang laou-yay, was still more
severely punished, being banished into the cold coun-
try in hopeless exile.
The character of the inhabitants is a favourable
specimen of the Chinese population. In their inter-
course with foreigners they generally evince a re-
spectful and friendly manner. It is, however, palpably
evident, to the most cursory observer, that fear is the
principal feeling which influences them in their de-
meanour towards the Western strangers. Between the
consular officers and the civic magistrates there has
hitherto existed but little intercourse. This doubtless
arises, in some degree, from the fact, that the Consu-
late is situated outside the city, and on the opposite
side of the river ; so that natural impediments exist
to the frequent intercourse which exists in some of the
other consular cities of China. The events of the
late war also entailed so much disaster on the native
authorities, that their successors appear to make it
their grand aim to prevent a recurrence of hostilities,
ATTEMPT TO RECAPTURE THE CITY. 195
by seeking to avoid, as much as possible, all opportu-
nities of intercourse and occasions of collision with
foreigners. The people seem to entertain similar
feelings, and to regard the British as persons who are
not to be dealt with on the ordinary rules of social in-
tercourse, but to be disarmed of their formidable cha-
racter by the arts of management and adroitness. It is
not strange that this feeling has been excited, so detri-
mental to an exalted estimate of our civilization. The
city suffered but, little on its first capture, in 1841, by
the troops, as no resistance was offered. The attempt
to regain the city, by a sudden assault on the British
of a large body of Chinese troops, changed the whole
aspect of affairs. In the dead of night they attacked
the British sentries at the west gate, and in large
numbers scaled the adjacent wall. This unexpected
attack, however, brought a destructive carnage on the
assailants, and was the occasion of inflicting on the
city the rigorous measures of war, which the captors
had hitherto relaxed. The slaughter on this occasion
was immense ; and an eye-witness relates, that, in the
principal narrow street adjoining the scene of attack,
piles of dead were heaped one upon another from the
sweeping destruction of a grape-shot cannonade. After
this time the terms of occupation were more severe.
A per-centage was levied on the estimated value of
property in the city, which was spared the horrors of
an indiscriminate sacking. In spite of these adverse
circumstances, the people are rapidly recovering from
their panic ; and a kind word from a foreigner is gene-
rally sufficient to ensure for him a friendly reception.
In no part of China are the people apparently more
alive to the influence of kindness. It is easy for a
02
196 LITERARY REPUTATION.
European living amongst them, and acting with but a
common degree of forbearance, to overcome prejudice,
and gradually to win a favourable opinion for himself.
Ningpo has the reputation of being the finest city
on the coast of China open to foreigners. Nor does
it enjoy an inconsiderable celebrity among the Chinese
themselves, who regard it as one of the most literary
cities in the empire, and inferior only to Soo-chow
and Hang-chow in the refinement and taste of the
people. An intelligent native scholar gave me the
following statistical information respecting the various
classes of inhabitants, which compose the population
of Ningpo. Of the people included within the city
walls, he estimated four-fifths to be engaged in trade,
merchandize, or labour. On the other hand, no less
a proportion than one-fifth were calculated as be-
longing to the literary class. This, however, not only
included the graduates and candidates for literary
promotion, but also the writers and clerks in the
public offices. The successful aspirants to degrees
are invested with important civil privileges, being
subject, in most cases of a municipal nature, to the
literary chancellor of the province, to whom they can
appeal from the lower officers of Government, so as to
enjoy a prescriptive right, which may, without danger
of misapprehension, be termed " the benefit of
clergy." In cases, also, of oppression in their
neighbourhood, a memorial signed by the literary
graduates exerts a considerable influence in rectifying
abuses. A case of this kind recently occurred at
Ningpo, in which a native, after being unjustly sub-
jected to examination by torture, on suspicion of theft,
was released on the petition of four keu-jin of the
POPULATION. .197
district, through whose influence the offending police
were severely punished by the superior officers. Of
the population in the suburbs, and on the level plain
extending to the hills, six parts out of ten are esti-
mated as deriving their livelihood from agriculture ;
three parts as artisans of various kinds ; and the
remaining tenth as consisting of fishermen and boat-
men. The manufacture of carpets and mats furnishes
employment to a large proportion of the people.
The female part of the population are employed, to a
considerable extent, in weaving cloth. If the state-
ment which was once made by the present taou-tai
be correct, that in Ningpo there are 100,000 houses
and shops assessed in taxes to the Government, even a
moderate calculation must raise the number of the
population to nearly 400,000 persons. This, however,
will be considered a very large estimate, when the
extent of ground actually covered with buildings is
considered. The city is surrounded by a wall of
about five miles in circuitj through which there are
six gates opening into the suburbs, or upon the river.
They are named respectively the North, West, South,
Spiritual Bridge, East and Salt Gates, and have
guard-stations erected over them for soldiers. In
some parts of the city a considerable space of ground
is occupied by gardens and tombs. The latter are
covered with shrubs and various species of the melon-
tribe, which give a rural appearance to such localities
within the walls. In the city there is an unusually
large proportion of temples and of spacious private
buildings. The breadth, also, and cleanliness of the
principal streets give a favourable impression of the
wealth and rank of the inhabitants. The comparative
198 DECAY OF NINGPO.
facility, however, with which houses can be rented
within the city by foreigners, the decay of many of the
buildings, and the non-occupation of others, furnish a
proof that the city is rapidly losing its former splen-
dour and consequence. It is still a place of impor-
tance, and has a considerable trade with Hang-
chow and Soo-chow in the interior. It has a large
maritime trade, also, with the province of Fokeen and
the island of Formosa, from both of which sugar and
rice are imported. There is also an extensive trade
with the province of Shantung. There are about
3000 soldiers in the city, of whom 800 are cavalry.
The greater part, however, of these consists of a local
militia. All the civil Mandarins are of Chinese
descent ; two of the military commandants being the
only Manchow Tartars in authority.
As a Missionary Station, Ningpo possesses inde-
pendent advantages, which exist only in a modified
degree at each of the other cities open to foreigners.
Considered even in itself, and apart from connexion
with other places, it presents a field of a peculiarly
inviting character. Possessing a climate which, as at
Shanghai, is subject to extremes of cold and heat
the range of the thermometer extending from above
100 to as low as 8 or 10 below the freezing point, in
the different seasons of the year it nevertheless affords
a reasonable prospect of salubrity to a European con-
stitution of ordinary physical strength. The character
of the people is such as their ignorance of the sanc-
tions and holy precepts of the Bible would lead us to
expect. The standard of morality is very low. There
is a general disregard of truth and honesty in all
cases in which the means of concealment exist. They
MORAL CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. 199
are, however, a kind, peaceable, and friendly people.
In circumstances of extraordinary provocation, their
quarrels seldom extend to personal violence ; and the
simple food on which they subsist, together with the
almost universal absence of intoxication, renders them,
even in the absence of religion, a gentle and orderly
population. As sensual pleasure presents itself as the
summit of human enjoyment to their minds, and
money furnishes its .possessor with a command over
the ordinary sources of sensual gratification, the dol-
lars of the foreigner will be, as they ever have been,
the great temptation, against which the integrity of
the natives is too weak to stand. A foreigner, who
avoids the appearance of being wealthy, is safe among
them. Their ideas, however, of the correlative condi-
tions of poverty and wealth differ considerably from
our own. It is particularly necessary as, for obvious
reasons, in other parts of the world, so, also, especially
in China that the establishment and domestic expen-
diture of Missionary families should be rigidly econo-
mical ; and that every thing be avoided which is
calculated to impress the natives with the wealth of
the strangers. Amongst a people, to whom a few
dollars are a great possession, it will be impossible for
any class of Europeans to appear otherwise than rich, in
the absence of the ordinary means of procuring a subsis-
tence. Independently of the temptations arising from
the poverty of the people, the most unbounded confi-
dence may be placed in them. A foreigner may, in the
ordinary circumstances of peace, stray alone several
miles into the country around Ningpo ; and although
curiosity may occasionally collect a throng, yet of gra-
tuitous cruelty and treacherous malice the people in
200 MISSIONARY ASPECT.
these parts evince no symptoms. They have some-
times suffered from the overbearing conduct of indi-
vidual foreigners. But the writer of these pages can
state it to be his unvarying experience, that a kind
word ever found a ready response from the natural
feelings of the people. As a Missionary mingles with
the good-humoured villagers of these more northern
provinces, or holds intercourse with the more intelli-
gent inhabitants of the cities, he, cannot but feel that
the feeble philosophy of the natural man has here
achieved some of its highest conquests, as far as its
limited power can avail, in the absence of the sanc-
tifying grace of the gospel. It is, however, a sad
counterpart to this picture, to reflect that the people
are living only for this world, without one defined
idea of the future. Their prospects are bounded by
the narrow horizon of this life. Beyond the grave,
every thing with them is unthought of, unknown, and
uncared for. Here, however, the Missionary of the
cross has ready means of access to a people, who are
free from most of the usual disquieting and contami-
nating influences of a large European trade and an
extensive influx of foreigners. When the local dialect
has been acquired, there lies before him a bound-
less field of daily Missionary work among an intel-
ligent and well-disposed class of hearers. The
boundary regulations are favourable, foreigners being
permitted, without restriction as to time, to visit, or
even reside, in any part of the keen or district of
Ningpo. This extends on the south-west more than
fifty miles, and on the south-east includes, within
the limits of the port, a portion of the sea-coast,
and the woodland hills of Teen - tung. In other
11ECAPITULATION. 201
directions, the boundaries vary from five to sixteen
miles.
The advantages of Ningpo may be summed up in a
few words of recapitulation.
I. It affords a promising sphere of quiet Missionary
work among a superior population, in one of the finest
and largest cities of the empire, without the deterio-
rating influences of an extensive trade with foreigners.
II. It presents peculiar facilities for the planting of
out-stations, and for making periodical visits in the
surrounding country, as the growing exigencies of the
Mission may hereafter render expedient.
CHAPTER XV.
VISIT TO THE ISLAND OF CHUSAN, AND FURTHER
INCIDENTS AT NINGPO.
VISIT TO THE ISLAND OF CHUSAN CITY OF TING-HAI INTER-
VIEW WITH A ROMISH PADRE SIMILARITY BETWEEN POPISH
AND BUDHISTIC CEREMONIES TRADITIONARY ORIGIN OF
BONZES RETURN TO NINGPO ANNUAL OFFERINGS TO
DEPARTED SPIRITS TEMPORARY ABODE IN A TAOUIST
MONASTERY TAOUIST LAY-BROTHER FEMALE WORSHIP-
PERS TAOUIST ABBOT AND PRIESTS CHINESE GARDEN
AND ARTIFICIAL GROUNDS VISIT TO A NATIVE DOCTOR
MAHOMEDAN SHOPKEEPER APPLICATION OF OPIUM-SMOKERS
FOR MEDICINE VISIT TO A BUDHIST NUNNERY A NATIVE
PAWNBROKER VISIT TO HIS EXCELLENCY THE TAOU-TAI
CEREMONY OF RECEPTION A CHINESE ENTERTAINMENT
TOPICS OF CONVERSATION VISIT TO THE DEPOSED TAOU-TAI
HIS PUBLIC INTEGRITY AND MISFORTUNES.
ON August 12th I embarked, at sunset, with a Mis-
sionary friend and his wife for Chusan, in a native
boat. We proceeded with the ebb-tide down the river
before a moderate breeze, which at length died away,
so that, at 11 P.M., we had to anchor for the night at
the mouth of the river, off the city of Chin-hai. At
daybreak the next morning we weighed anchor, and
after tacking about for some hours, the wind being
unfavourable, we arrived among the numerous islands
which form the harbour of Chusan, and came to
anchor among a little fleet of about 200 junks and
boats. On my landing shortly after, I was hospitably
VISIT TO CHUSAN. 203
received by a military friend, in whose house I re-
mained during the whole time of my visit.
The immediate object of my coming to Chusan was
to try the effects of a change of air, and to obtain addi-
tional medical advice. The weakness of my health con-
sequently prevented my making any visits to the dis-
tant parts of the island. I had, however, an opportunity
of exploring, in a boat, some of the neighbouring islets
and creeks, and of admiring the beautiful blending of
bold mountainous scenery with the signs of fertility,
which everywhere met the eye. The hills were co-
vered with a loamy sandy soil, which., although scanty
and shallow, yielded an abundant return to the indus-
try of the cultivator. Hedge-rows, of regular form,
rose one above another up the hill- sides, and sepa-
rated the different crops which luxuriated on their
bosom. There was, however, something very unna-
tural in the appearance of European barracks and
sentries of the red coats and muskets of British
soldiers of the sable countenances and pliant limbs
of the Indian sepoys and of the gay accoutrements
of the military officers which stood out in bold relief
from the general Chinese features of the island, and
reminded the beholder that the flag of British law was
waving over this Oriental spot. The people seemed
resigned to a foreign rule ; and their merry counte-
nances told how light was the burden of political
care which settled on their minds. Every gate of the
city, and several of the principal buildings, were
occupied by sepoys, who, inferior to their British
companions in arms, seemed to delight in the idea of
their own superiority to the Chinese, and in occasional
freaks of overbearing conduct. In addition to the
204 INTERVIEW WITH A ROMISH PADRE.
Indian troops quartered in the city, nearly a thousand
European soldiers were located in the barracks, distant
about a mile, and adjoining the beach. The interme-
diate space between the sea and the city of Ting-haiis
occupied by rice-fields, which are, in certain seasons
of the year, covered with water to the depth of six
inches, and give a marshy appearance to the soil.
Before my departure from Chusan I was introduced
to M. Danicourt, a Roman-Catholic Missionary, with
whom I had some lengthened conversation. He had
been for ten years a professor of Latin in the Romish
College at Macao, from which place he came to Chusan
three years ago. In addition to his Missionary work,
he was employed as a political agent of the French
Government.
According to the information supplied to me by
M. Danicourt, the Roman-Catholic Missionaries in
China are supported, in part only, by European re-
sources. In former times there was a fund instituted
by Louis XIV. for the propagation of Christianity,
from which the Missionaries in China received their
entire support. But the troubles of the French Revo-
lution, and the spoliation of the Romish Church by
Napoleon, had been the means of abolishing this
endowment. The Society for the Propagation of the
Faith, formed twenty-three years ago, endeavoured to
supply the loss by an annual grant of 100 dollars to
each Missionary in China. This sum M. Danicourt
considered to be, under ordinary circumstances, suffi-
cient, as each Missionary itinerated in the interior
from place to place, visiting and instructing the Ro-
man-Catholic converts, in whose families he was a
temporary guest. M. Danicourt said that at Chusan
SIMILARITY BETWEEN POPERY AND BUDHISM. 205
he had found this sum insufficient, on account of the
expenses of his chapel, to which, however, the Roman-
Catholic soldiers had assisted in contributing. He
professed to number twenty-five native converts in
Chusan, exclusive of two Chinese Missionaries resi-
dent in the island. In the course of his conversation,
he stated that the Roman-Catholic Missionaries felt
much dissatisfaction with the Chinese Government, on
account of the attempt to conceal the recent edict in
favour of Christianity from the people in the interior,
who were still exposed to vexation on account of their
religion. The edict of toleration was so unexpected
a departure from the antiquated policy of the Govern-
ment, and so plain a proof of the growing influence of
foreigners, that it is not extraordinary that the Chinese
rulers have for the present refrained from giving
general publicity to the document. M. Danicourt's
opinion of the Mandarins and of the common people
seemed not to be very high. Of the latter he said
that they were, amid all their blandness and good
humour, very deceitful and covetous, and that {( money
was their god."
An honest Romanist priest must often be stumbled
at the similarity between the religious forms of
Popery and those of Budhism. The existence of
monasteries and nunneries ; the celibacy, the tonsure,
the flowing robes, and the peculiar caps, of the
priesthood ; the burning of incense, the tinkling of
bells, the rosaries of beads, the sacred candles on the
altar-tables, the intonation of services, the prayers in
an unknown tongue, purgatory, and the offerings for
the dead in their temples ; and above all, the titles of
their principal goddess, " the Queen of Heaven," and
" Holy Mother," represented by the image of a woman
206 THE VIRGIN MARY AND THE IDOL KWAX-YIN.
with a male child in her arms ; present features of
mutual resemblance which must strike every candid
mind.* Such a remarkable similarity of details, al-
though it may facilitate a transition from Budhism to
Popery, must occasionally give rise to perplexing com-
parisons. This subject is sometimes regarded as so
full of difficulties, that in former times a Romanist
* The author is inclined to the opinion that all these details of
similarity are purely accidental resemblances, with the exception of
the titles of the Virgin given to their idol Kwan-yin, commonly called
the " Goddess of Mercy."
The hypothesis that some of the degenerate Nestorian Christians,
who arrived in China in the seventh century of the Christian era,
amalgamated with their faith and ceremonies the prevailing errors
of China, and caused the priests of Budha to adopt many of their rites,
is destitute of probability, and is disproved by the opposition of the
Nestorian Christians to the worship of the Virgin on the arrival of
the Portuguese in Southern India in the sixteenth century. A more
probable hypothesis is, that, on the arrival of the Romish Missionaries
in China, the Budhists, observing the similarity of the image of the
Virgin Mary to their own idol the " goddess of Mercy," concluded
that they were one and the same idol, and transferred the titles of
" Holy Mother/' and " Queen of Heaven," to their own goddess
Kwan-yin.
This view of the question is supported by the following extract
from a work on China by Sir John Davis, the present Governor of
Hong Kong
The Chinese at Canton, who are fond of finding parallels and resemblances
of the kind, give the name of the Virgin (in conversing with Europeans)
to their Budhist idol Kwan-yin ; and in the same way apply the name of
Kwan-yin to the Romish idols of the Virgin. To every saint who has a
Church at Macao they contrive to give a name, founded on some supposed analogy
in their own idols. St. Anthony they call " the Fire God " There is nothing in
the Catholic worship at that place, or in the character of the priests, that is
calculated to give the Chinese a very exalted idea of this corruption of
Christianity. In the former, they witness graven or molten images, proces-
sions, tinkling of bells, candles, and incense, exactly resembling their own
religious rites : in the latter, a number of ignorant and idle monks, professing
celibacy, but with indifferent moral characters, shaving their heads and count-
ing beads, very much after the fashion of the Budhist priests.
ORIGIN OF BONZES. 207
Missionary declared, in the distress of his mind, that
Budhism must have been the rival system and master-
plot of Satan, to hinder the progress of the Christian
faith. Whether M. Danicourt felt any perplexity in
the matter, it was difficult to know. I was, however,
inclined to suspect as much, from the abrupt transition
with which he passed from previous topics of conver-
sation to that of Budhism. His information was
amusing, and confirmatory of some legends of which
I had before heard.
One of the ancient emperors of China had a re-
markable dream, which caused him some anxiety and
distress. He dreamt that he saw a man with a bow
and two arrows, who was to accomplish strange
things, and whom it was expedient to propitiate.
Some interpreters of dreams were consulted, one of
whom said that the man represented the character
jin,J\^, the bow represented the character kung, IP^ ;
and, with the addition of the two arrows, J| the
whole symbol formed the character fuh, ^ or Budh,
a new deity lately imported from India. Another
division of the component parts of the character
into the negative fuh, j^ on the right hand, andjin,
y^a man on the left, gave the meaning, " not a man;'
which corresponded also with another part of the
dream, intimating his superhuman origin and power.
The emperor then took measures for discovering the
idol, and setting apart a number of priests to worship
it. Hereupon a difficulty arose : the Chinese refused
to become priests, objecting that such a course was
opposed to the maxims of Confucius and the customs
of the empire. Many submitted to capital punish-
ment in preference to incurring the guilt of this im-
piety. At last the emperor, in despair of finding
208 RETURN TO NINGPO.
honest men willing to undertake the priesthood, made
proposals to a number of felons, convicted of murder,
robbery, and other crimes. The convicts were offered
pardon, on condition of their entering the Budhist
temples, and consecrating themselves to the idol's
service in different parts of the country. In order to
prevent their subsequent escape from the temples,
they were compelled to shave their heads entirely.
Being thus easily known, their re-capture and punish-
ment would be facilitated. Such, according to M.
Danicourt, was the tradition of the Chinese, confirmed
by some of their old writings, respecting the origin
and degradation of this wretched class of men.
I left Chusan on August 22d, having experienced
during my stay great kindness from the British resi-
dents, which was doubly acceptable under the circum-
stances of my visit. Embarking in a Chinese sailing-
boat, with a fair wind and favourable tide, we made a
rapid passage to Ningpo, in a little more than seven
hours.
During the first two nights after my return to
Ningpo, I could get but little sleep amid the con-
tinued sound of drums, gongs, and flutes, caused by
the superstitious observances prevalent among the
people on the occasion of the fang yen Jcow. This is
the term used to denote the ceremonies performed in
the seventh month of the Chinese year, on behalf of
departed spirits, in order to rescue them from the
Budhist purgatory. The rites are explained as having
originated in the supposed misery and poverty, in the
spiritual world, of such persons as had left behind no
surviving offspring or relatives to make the accus-
tomed offerings of gilt money and paper garments to
their manes. Lanterns are hung in all directions ;
OFFERINGS TO DEPARTED SPIRITS. 209
platforms are erected and covered with provisions ;
the hungry spirits are invited to partake of a repast ;
and the people observe a kind of vigil. A general
subscription of money is raised for the occasion ; and
the sum contributed by my boy was a rupee, accord-
ing to his own statement. The festival in honour of
the completion of the official residence of the taou-tai,
which had been rebuilt since the destruction of the
public buildings in the late war, gave an additional
eclat to the occasion. A Chinese gentleman in the
neighbourhood had liberally supplied funds for the
latter public work ; and was destined to receive, as
his reward, advancement to the nominal rank of a
Mandarin of the third class. This is the more deli-
cate way in which public honours are now virtually
put up for sale throughout the empire.
The depraved class of Chinese, who had lately be-
come tenants of the house adjoining my own, on a
subsequent evening hired the attendance of some
priests, who, for three or four dollars, devoted the
whole evening to singing a number of dirges, on the
occasion of the natal day of Te-wang, the prince of the
infernal regions. At this period of the year popular
superstition commemorates the release of many spirits
from their prison below, and their temporary admis-
sion into the upper regions, to receive the offerings of
food, garments, and money. The melancholy chant-
ings to the king of the infernal realms, and the of-
ferings of food to the spirits of the dead, are supposed
to possess the meritorious efficacy of propitiating the
imaginary deity, and hastening the deliverance of their
friends from destitution in the other world. On the
latter occasion, I congratulated myself on their ter-
minating the sound of the bells, gongs, and discor-
210 TEMPORARY ABODE IN -A TAOUIST MONASTERY.
dant voices, at as early an hour as that of midnight.
Cases of similar superstition are often to be seen on
the occurrence of sickness in a family. The inmates
commence beating drums and gongs, and set out a
feast, in the superstitious belief that some deceased
member of the family is starving in the world below,
and that, in revenge of their neglect, his spirit has
come to feed on the body of the sick person. Hence
they seek, by the bribe of a feast, and the intimidation
of sounds, to expel the unwelcome author of their
calamity. The educated Chinese are often raised
above the influence of these vulgar terrors ; but the
empire of superstition is almost universal.
On August 25th I went to reside for a few days
with two Missionary friends lodging in the Taouist
monastery, near the north gate of the city. The room
which served as my dormitory adjoined a large hall,
in which worship was wont to be paid by those persons
who were ambitious of literary honours. In another
part of the temple were situated the different halls, in
which the gods of the seasons, and the numerous other
divinities of the Taou sect, were enthroned. The only
male worshipper whom I observed, on my first visit to
the principal hall, was one of the lay-brothers of the
Taou sect. They form an intermediate class between
the Taouist monks and the common people, and are
not bound to the observance of celibacy, or a monas-
tic life. The lay-brother was engaged in hurrying
through a repetition of senseless words, and beating
time on a hollow, ornamented sounding-board. He
did not, however, seem to experience any devotional
feeling; as, on my entrance, he arose, welcoming me
with polite bowings, but continuing his recitations.
The lay-brothers seek to make themselves perfect in
TAOUIST WORSHIPPERS, ABBOT, AND MONKS. 211
the repetition of these forms, till they have obtained
sufficient knowledge to qualify them for travelling in
the neighbourhood, and hiring out their services on
the various superstitious occasions, which may occur
in private families. A friend of the lay-brother was
waiting near, and followed us about the temple pre-
cincts, offering many civilities, some of which betrayed
the avaricious spirit by which he was influenced.
The few women, who were worshipping when I
entered, belonged to a superior class, being arrayed
in beautiful dresses, and attended by their ammahs.
As soon as I made my appearance, they affected great
modesty, and, with half-turned faces and half-sup-
pressed smiles, quietly took their departure, with as
much haste as their tottering steps and limping gait
permitted. During the five days of my residence in
the temple, no Chinese were observed to come for
worship to the quadrangle, in which our apartments
lay. Sometimes, in the other portions of the temple,
the gongs and monotonous voices of the priests were
to be heard. Every morning, in an opposite garden,
an old woman made her appearance outside her
cottage, kneeling and uttering her customary number
of formal repetitions, with loud and impassioned voice.
The Taouist abbot was advanced in years, and his
fierce and irascible temper had been somewhat sub-
dued by the infirmities of age. Both the abbot and
the priests were very desirous of cultivating our
acquaintance, and sometimes rendered themselves
unwelcome visitors to our apartments by the length
of time during which they remained. The Taouist
monks are less numerous, and appear to be less
diligent in their superstitious observances, than the
212 CHINESE GARDEN AND ARTIFICIAL GROUNDS.
Budhist monks. They also seem to be in better
repute with the literary class. The principal mark
by which they may be distinguished from the Bonzes,
is the peculiar tuft into which their hair is bound on
the crown of the head.
On August 28th I was accompanied by a friend
on a visit to the flower-garden of Kang laou-yay, a
gentleman of great wealth. He had realized a large
fortune in the monopoly of salt, which he purchased,
on speculation, from the Government. The payment
for the monopoly is made to the Government in taels
of silver; and the money received for the sale of salt,
from the people, is paid in copper cash. But as silver is
very scarce at the present time, and the copper cash is
proportionably depreciated in value, the salt monopoly
has been, of late, a source of great loss to the mono-
polists, and some of the wealthiest salt-merchants have
been reduced from affluence to comparative indigence.
Kang, however, still retained some proofs of wealth,
in the general taste and arrangements of his garden,
the variety of his plants and flowers, and the expensive
furniture of the rooms through which we passed. The
imitation of rocks and caverns, though on a small
scale, had a pretty and pleasing effect. At the end
of a little pond, covered with the lotus-flower, there
stood a large cage, containing a fine stork, which the
tradition of the family stated to be above a hundred
years old. The old gentleman himself was above
eighty years of age, and was very deaf. He told us
of the recent visit of an Englishman, who had begged
so importunately for a rare flower which he possessed,
that, though it cost him ten dollars, he had presented
it to the foreigner. He seemed to be very dissatisfied
VISIT TO A NATIVE DOCTOR. 213
with the return-present of a microscope, which,
though a liberal recompense, he termed " a very little
thing." As we were sitting together, a number of
Chinese ladies were looking through a window from
the adjoining room. The slightest glance in that
direction was sufficient to cause them to disperse on
either side of the apartment, till curiosity led them to
brave another view of our foreign features, even at
the expense of Chinese etiquette.
After our departure from the mansion of Kang
laou-yay, we paid our respects to a medical prac-
titioner, named Chang, who resided on the opposite
side of the same street. Among the various inscrip-
tions and specimens of Chinese caligraphy, which
adorned the rooms in which we sat, was a scroll
which announced that the doctor possessed the re-
quisite skill for healing a hundred diseases. In the
British war he acted as a spy, and was the bearer of
several semi-official messages from the Mandarins at
Ningpo to the British at Chusan. He rendered some
services to the latter, and contracted an acquaintance
with several English gentlemen, whose letters and
cards he showed satisfaction in exhibiting. The old
man had, however, shared the usual lot of such
persons, and was slighted both by the English, who
resisted his rude acts of inquisitiveness, and by the
Chinese, who regarded his patriotism with suspicion.
His medical practice was not of a lucrative kind,
if a judgment might be formed from the signs of
straitened income apparent in his house. His peculiar
department of Chinese surgery was acupuncture, by
which he professed an ability to perform cures for
rheumatism and similar diseases. At the time of our
214 MAHOMEDAN SHOPKEEPER.
visit he was eking out his scanty means of subsistence
by instructing three pupils, who were present in the
room with us. Finding that I wished to visit Foo-
chow before the close of the year, and that I ex-
perienced much difficulty in obtaining a European
vessel bound for that port, he was very urgent in
advising me to go in a Fokeen junk, and volunteered
himself to accompany me as a protector. He pro-
posed that I should proceed from Foo-chow, in
Chinese costume, by an overland route to Amoy, and
volunteered his aid in effecting such an arrangement.
As we returned to the monastery, we entered, for a
few minutes, the shop of a native of Shantung, whom
we discovered to be a Mahomedan, and though able
to speak Chinese, to be ignorant of the written cha-
racter. The whole sect appear to devote their studies
exclusively to their own sacred language, the Arabic.
His bold features, prominent nose, and restless eye,
confirmed the fact of the distinct origin of this de-
scendant of Ishmael. I always felt a sympathy with
the poor dispersed disciples of Islam in this pagan
wild, and regarded their denunciation of idols, and
their worship of one God, as a comparative approxi-
mation to our own religion in the midst of a people
enslaved either by superstition or by atheism. It was
a source of continual regret to my mind, that their
ignorance of the Chinese written character prevented
their deriving instruction from our Christian publica-
tions.
Aug. 3Qth The houses of the foreign community at
Ningpo being situated principally in the little suburb,
on the opposite side of the river, I had frequent
occasion to hire the services of some Chinese boatmen
OPIUM-MEDICINE BUDHIST NUNNERY. 215
to take me across the river in their ferry-boats. On
this and the preceding evenings, as I crossed the
river, the boatmen urgently begged me to give them
some medicine for curing them of the effects of
smoking opium. The poor wretches betrayed, by their
haggard looks and sickly countenances, the dreadful
ravages which the indulgence of this destructive habit
had produced on their constitution. They said that
they were poor ; and, pointing to their tattered rai-
ment and emaciated limbs, implored me to give them
the required medicine, which they had heard that my
countrymen possessed. They appeared to be im-
patient of any delay, and requested me to fix a day
for them to call at my house and receive the medicine.
My boy told them the place of my abode, and I after-
wards wrote a note, containing a recommendation of
their case to a medical Missionary, who, by tonics and
other remedies, endeavours to invigorate the constitu-
tion against the prostrating effects on the nervous
system, produced by the disuse of the long-accus-
tomed stimulus.
On Sept. 2d I went with a friend to visit the nun-
nery adjoining my house, dedicated to the Budhist
" Queen of Heaven " or " Goddess of Mercy." The
literal translation of her latter title, " hearing the cries
of the world" indicates the presence of more amiable
attributes than most of their popular deities are repre-
sented as possessing. Six nuns resided within the
building, supported by an endowment and occasional
gifts from worshippers. We remained about an hour,
during which the old abbess served to us some sweet-
meats and fruits, which she placed before us with her
own hands, selecting the kinds which she deemed
216 A NATIVE PAWNBROKER.
most palatable. For this we afterwards had to make
a present, which the feast was a delicate way of ex-
torting from us. The nuns were generally women of
coarse manners and unprepossessing appearance. The
abbess possessed a masculine spirit, and from time to
time issued some command to five or six servant-men
in the court, some of whom were engaged in cleaning
raw cotton, and others in making garments. There
were also two little nuns, of about four or five years
of age, who enjoyed one compensation for their dedi-
cation to the temple-service, in being permitted to
possess feet of the natural size and growth. The
dress of the nuns was very like that of a Budhist
monk, their heads being entirely shaven, and their
principal garment consisting of a loose flowing robe.
The abbess wore a black silk cap over her crown,
in the centre of which was a hole, through which
her bare head was perceptible. As she dangled her
rosary of beads on her arm, she made many in-
quiries about an English Missionary, who, about two
years ago, lodged for a month in the nunnery. At
this time there were a few Chinese lodging in the
building, such institutions being frequently converted
to the purposes of an hotel.
On our return through the Tung-mun-keae, we
were engaged for some time in a pawnbroker's shop,
in examining some articles of curiosity, which had
found their way into his possession. Among these
was an old bell, about a hundred pounds in weight,
and having a large number of Chinese characters
beautifully engraven on it. It gave a tolerably har-
monious and agreeable sound, and had been brought
hither to be pawned from a Budhist nunnery, in the
VISIT TO HIS EXCELLENCY THE TAOU-TAI. 217
neigbouring town of Tze-ke. There was also an-
other article pawned from the same institution, an
idol of the goddess of mercy, made of bronze, and
about ten inches in height. This he wanted to sell
for two dollars and a half. It is scarcely possible to
stroll into the adjacent streets without meeting conti-
nual indications of the real scepticism and atheism of
the Chinese, amid all their apparent deference to the
religious customs of their country.
On Sept. 3d I went with some friends to visit the
principal Mandarin in Ningpo, usually styled the
taou-tai. Due notice had been given some hours pre-
viously, and there were circumstances attending our
visit, which insured a polite reception from his Excel-
lency. We were borne in chairs along the streets to
the ya-mun, or public offices, in which the taou-tai was
then residing. As we approached the large folding-
doors, leading into the first of a number of spacious
courts, a gong was struck, which was immediately
answered by other gongs and a bell from within. At
the same time, a native piper commenced playing a
noisy air, accompanied by a kind of cymbal, to do
honour to us as we passed. As door opened within
door, we saw signs of bustle and activity among the
numerous attendants, till our sedan-chairs were set
down on a pavement at the bottom of a little flight of
steps leading into a vestibule. Here the great man,
Ching ta jin, descended to welcome us ; and after a
good deal of bowing and other salutations, we were
conducted to a reception-hall, where we were invited
to take our seats. But preliminary matters of etiquette
had to be settled, which occupied some time. The
taou-tai would not occupy the highest seat on the left
218 RECEPTION CURIOSITY OF SERVANTS.
side, the place of honour; and the members of our
little party affected like humility. One pressed the
other, and tried to lead him into the uppermost seat,
which gentle attempt the other as gently resisted.
Under ordinary circumstances this would have been
fatiguing ; but in the excessive heat of the summer it
was doubly irksome : and matters were at last abruptly
brought to a satisfactory adjustment by one of our
party coolly occupying the highest seat, and thus ter-
minating the debate. One of our friends was a fluent
speaker of Chinese, and acted as our spokesman. The
taou-tai's cap of authority, which was ornamented with
the usual knob or button of a light blue colour, indi-
cating his rank as being of the third of the nine orders
of Mandarins, was now taken from his head, and handed
to an attendant, who placed it in a conspicuous part
of the room. Soon after, another servant came at his
bidding to assist in removing his upper garment of
blue silk ; and as, notwithstanding the heat, we had
paid his Excellency the compliment of appearing in
woollen coats, we gladly availed ourselves of his invi-
tation to put off the incumbrance, and sat during the
rest of our visit in our shirt-sleeves. The room did
not afford the signs of any great wealth in the pro-
prietor, the furniture being simple and substantial,
rather than elegant. A number of servants were
standing outside, and sometimes, in their eagerness to
see and listen, pressed around the door. A wave of
the hand from their master once or twice seemed to
remove them to a little distance on either side. But
when he subsequently sat so as to have his back to-
wards them, they quietly returned, and their number
was increased by the addition of several others eager
LITERARY DEGREE CHINESE ENTERTAINMENT. 219
to satisfy their curiosity. After we had taken tea, the
signs of preparation for a morning collation were ap-
parent in the various dishes brought and set out on a
table in the centre of the room. On the announce-
ment being made that all was ready, the same cere-
mony and delay as to precedence took place. The
taou-tai took his seat at the lowest end of the table.
As our meal proceeded, he reverted to former topics,
especially to our literary degrees. As I had been in-
troduced as a literary teacher, he now inquired what
literary degree in my own country I had attained.
My friend very inconsiderately replied that I was the
same as a tsin-sze, i. e. the second of the four Chinese
literary degrees, to which Chin ta jin had himself at-
tained. The taou-tai then commenced congratulating
me on the felicity of my lot in getting literary promo-
tion at so early an age. He proceeded to take a strict
survey of my physiognomy, and made some remarks
on my personal appearance. At last, fortunately for
our preservation of gravity, the conversation was led
to the subject of literary examinations and degrees in
China, on which he was very lengthened in his obser-
vations.
Meanwhile we endeavoured to do honour to the
dishes, which in rapid succession were placed before
us, our host helping us from each dish with the chop-
sticks with which he himself was eating. A kind of
spirit, distilled from rice, was poured out into small
cups and saucers and placed before us. Deference
had been paid to our foreign palates, and, in addition
to the usual routine of Chinese dainties, small slices
of ham, beef, duck, and fowl were served on the table.
Plovers' eggs, nuts, sweetmeats, formed also portions of
220 TOPICS OF CONVERSATION.
our repast. Our host continually watched our saucers,
and replenished them from time to time with what he
deemed the choicest morsels. Once or twice we ven-
tured to act on our own choice, and to taste some of
the unknown dishes ; but we quickly came to the de-
cision that it was better to trust to his selection. At
last we were tired with the number of dishes, which
one after another made their appearance. But it was
to no purpose that he was informed that we had eaten
a sufficient quantity. He begged to assure us that
the repast would soon be over ; and our apologies for
occasioning him so much expense only made him in-
sist more rigorously on our remaining till the end.
During this time an animated discussion took place
on the subject of foreign customs. He again reverted
to the subject of my literary degree, and inquired my
family name. This was altered to suit the Chinese
sounds, and written Sze-mei. He then asked my per-
sonal name, which he tried in vain to pronounce, say-
ing it took four Chinese characters to write it. He
made several ineffectual attempts to catch the sound
George, changing it to Jih-ah-le-jih. At last, in despair
of mastering the outlandish sounds, he ceased from
the attempt, and, falling back into his large chair, gave
a hearty prolonged laugh. Then he inquired of my
friend respecting the koo-wan, or ancient classical lite-
rature of our country. This led to his being informed
of the gradual improvement of our native tongue
the comparatively recent date of English literature
the stores of ancient learning imported from Greece
and Rome the prevalence of Latin as the general me-
dium of communication between the literati of Europe
and the different races who successively peopled
DEPARTURE.
Britain. To all these topics he listened with atten-
tion, bringing frequent illustrations from similar events
in the history of China. He afterwards inquired
about some European country, by a name which we
had never before heard. On our further listening to
his pronunciation of the word, we discovered the name
to be a strange combination of sounds, intended for
Denmark. Afterwards the current of topics flowed
to America and its twenty-six States ; the separation
of the United States from Britain in the last century ;
their common descent and language ; their commer-
cial rivalry and political emulation ; the number of
annual emigrants from Britain to America ; the pro-
cess of clearing away forests and preparing the soil
for cultivation ; the enterprising character of Ameri-
can merchants ; and the political supremacy of Bri-
tain. He made some inquiries respecting the causes
of emigration, and of the willingness of the British
merchants to come to so distant a country as China.
He continually responded, sometimes giving a hearty
laugh, and not in the slightest degree affecting an
appearance of gravity. He mentioned his having
been formerly sent on a special mission by the Chi-
nese Government to the country of Mongolia, and
spoke of the cold temperature and the forests as pro-
bably resembling those of America.
At length, after many unavailing attempts to rise
from the table, which he as often prevented, we were
enabled to make preparations for our departure.
During our stay of more than an hour, he showed us
the usual marks of politeness and courtesy. As his
jurisdiction extended over three of the eleven depart-
ments, into which the province of Che-keang is
222 VISIT TO THE DEPOSED TAOU-TAI.
divided, he was an officer of some consequence, and
ruled a territory as large as Scotland. He was appa-
rently about fifty-six years of age, and his manners
were commanding and graceful. In spite of our re-
monstrance, he insisted on accompanying us to our
sedans, and we took our departure with the same
ceremony, and amid the same noise of piping and
gongs, as greeted us on our entrance.
Our next visit was to the deposed taou-tai, Loo ta-
laou-yay. We passed through a long covered area,
filled with tables and benches, which, in my ignorance,
I conjectured to be intended for some public feast. I
soon, however, ascertained that this was the literary
examination-hall, where 900 candidates for the sew-tsai
degree could be accommodated at one time with seats
and materials for writing their themes. At the other
end was situated the temporary but elegant apartments
assigned to the disgraced officer. He received us
with smiles of good-humoured politeness, and with at
least the semblance of cordiality. Here how different
a scene lay before us ! The cloud of sorrow which
saddened his features, and the dark gloom which
hovered over his spirits, proclaimed the misfortunes of
the deposed ruler, whose hand, in the golden hour of
prosperity, all would have hastened to greet ; but who
now, beneath the frown of imperial displeasure, was
condemned to assume the cares, without the honours
or emoluments, of civic authority. His only crime
was the love of life. On the approach of a conquer-
ing enemy, he joined in the universal flight of the
citizens. Not being a military Mandarin, he could
have offered no successful resistance by awaiting the
national foe. Nevertheless, in the judgment of the
HIS MISFORTUNES AND MERITS. 223
Emperor, he ought to have fallen at his post ; and in
order to deter the Mandarins from a similar betrayal
of their trust, Loo ta-laou-yay had been stript of his
rank and office, and, amid a band of faithful attendants,
mourned in secret over his humiliation and fall. He
wore a knob of white, the decoration of the sixth class
of Mandarins, having, since the peace, been restored
to a portion of his former honours. His age exceeded
sixty years, and his form stooped a little beneath
the weight of his afflictions. He is reported to pos-
sess private wealth, and to be no longer desirous of
restoration to political power, which, however, the
approaching cession of Chusan by the British is said
to render probable. He was greatly superior to the
ruling taou-tai in knowledge and intelligence ; and
tried to look cheerful in the animated conversation
which ensued. His laugh, however, was less hearty,
and his manner possessed less of vivacity. His pri-
vate worth and public integrity may be inferred
from the petition of the inhabitants, by whose exer-
tions alone he was released from impending capital
punishment. The eight years of gratuitous service,
imposed on him by the Emperor, were nearly half
accomplished ; and his probable restoration, after
this probation, to his former office would be hailed
with universal satisfaction by the people. The Im-
perial Government of China is fickle in its bestowal
of favours, and severe in its infliction of penalties.
Old Loo is therefore perhaps more happy in his
present position than in the dangerous elevation of
magisterial power. Here most of the scenes recurred
which took place at the taou-tai's. A luncheon was
again set out, of which we partook for the sake of
224 CONVERSATION CALAMITIES OF THE LATE WAR.
civility. Every five minutes an attendant brought a
water-pipe, through the gurgling tube of which Loo
inhaled the fumes of tobacco, emitting them from his
mouth and nostrils with ludicrous composure. The
only thing, that ruffled the calm serenity of his coun-
tenance, was our inexperience in the use of the chop-
sticks. He entered into conversation on the topic of
foreign coinage, and the mode of assaying silver, in
gathering the particulars of which, as well as the re-
lative value of the several kinds of dollars, he was
very particular. The mention of Mexican and Peru-
vian dollars led to the subject of Spain and her early
conquests in South America. Beyond the occasional
recollection of names, both he and the taou-tai seemed
to possess scarcely any geographical knowledge of
Western nations. All appeared to them one great
wild of unknown regions ; and they seemed to remem-
ber only a few names of countries, strangely altered
and adapted to the monosyllabic poverty of the Chi-
nese language. We passed an hour very pleasantly
with Loo ta-laou-yay. He attended us, with the usual
marks of civility, to our chairs on our departure.
Here I felt, in much of their sad reality, the evils of
war, and the calamities which it inflicts. The country
of the men, whom he now honoured as his guests,
had been the occasion of his ruin and disgrace. The
outward show of respect, with which he received our
visit, must have been utterly at variance with the in-
ward feelings of his heart. The cases of individual
suffering, which the British war has inflicted on many
thousands of innocent victims in the Central Provinces
of China, render the precious boon of Christianity a
debt doubly due from Britain to this benighted land.
CHAPTER XVI.
SECOND EXCURSION TO TEEN-TUNG.
ANIMATED APPEARANCE OF COUNTRY ANCESTRAL TEMPLES
CONTRIBUTIONS TO A BAG FOR IDOLS CHINESE AGRICUL-
TURE GRATUITOUS TRAVELLERS* REST DRAGON-BOATS
BUDHIST VIGILS IN MONASTERY EXPLORATORY VISIT TO
DISTANT VILLAGES ILLITERATE PRIESTS INQUIRING SPIRIT
OF A TEA-FARMER FRIENDLINESS OF THE ABBOT HOSPI-
TALITY OF THE VILLAGERS GRACE TO AN IDOL PROCESS
OF CONSULTING THE IDOLS ASCENT OF THE " TAE-PIH-SAN "
RIDGE ENTERTAINMENT BY A CHINESE GENTLEMAN RE-
TURN TO NINGPO.
THE heat at Ningpo being still very oppressive, I
was again under the necessity of seeking a cooler tem-
perature, in the hilly region which skirts the plain of
Ningpo. Accordingly, on September 15th I set out
on my second visit to the monastery of Teen-tung,
accompanied only by my Chinese boy. I was carried
in a chair, about a mile and a half through the city,
to a retired part of the eastern suburbs. Here, on a
little lake, entirely surrounded by shops and warehouses,
was the boat which was engaged to convey me and my
boy, with a few articles of provision, towards our
place of destination. As soon as I made my appear-
ance, the boatman became excited, and was quickly
involved in a quarrel with my boy. On discovering
that the boat was hired to convey a foreigner, the
Q
226 ANCESTRAL TEMPLES.
boatman wanted to raise the sum agreed upon between
him and my boy some hours before, when no men-
tion had been made by the latter that his master was a
foreigner. A long and angry altercation ensued be-
tween them, and a crowd was soon attracted towards
the spot in which we were. To a person unacquainted
with the Chinese temperament, the danger of a serious
personal encounter between them would have ap-
peared imminent ; but their excited gestures and
impassioned tones were carefully restrained within
the limits of caution, and no assault was committed.
As soon as this preliminary difficulty was overcome,
we proceeded along the canal, amidst a multitude of
boats laden with people, who were bringing vegetables
and provisions to market. These canals are the only
mode of transit, for heavy commodities, from one part
of the country to another. About a mile from the
city the country begins to assume a very pretty ap-
pearance, and to the native mind presents many asso-
ciations of interest and awe in the multitude of tombs,
which enshrine the remains of their forefathers. We
passed a number of sze tang, or "ancestral halls," some
of which belonged respectively to the Cheang, the
Woo, the E, the Ju, and the Sze families. These
various clans reside within the city, and have a com-
mon right to the ancestral halls, in which the tablets,
commemorative of their departed ancestors, are
ranged in order according to their generations. Little
temples continually succeeded each other every mile,
with two or three Bonzes sauntering about the en-
trance. A bag, fastened to a long pole, so as to reach
to the boats which were passing by, was held out from
some of the temples, in order to receive the offerings
CONTRIBUTIONS TO IDOLS CHINESE AGRICULTURE. 227
of the devout. Every boat contributed a few copper
coins to the sacred bag for the idol, on receiving
which the agents of the institution commenced sound-
ing a gong, by way of celebrating their offerings. In
each of the bags I deposited, as my gift, a few Chris-
tian books on the sin of worshipping idols. The peo-
ple in the suburbs were very desirous of receiving
books, and followed the boat some time after I ceased
from distributing them. One man, in his anxiety to
catch a book, lost his balance, and fell into the canal.
We soon passed from the suburbs into the open
country, which was covered with crops of rice and
other grain. But here agricultural scenes were some-
what different from those in other lands. Instead of
the fresh breezes of autumn, and the inhalations of the
pure country air, the rice-fields and gardens gave
forth most offensive odours, caused by the ma-
nure with which the ripening crops were covered.
Boats passed and re-passed, laden with this disa-
greeable cargo. Not a particle of refuse is lost by
this people, who place large jars and vessels in every
corner of their villages to receive these seeds of fer-
tility and wealth. It is by a system of manure and
irrigation that the poorest soils are forced, year after
year, to produce two annual crops, sustaining an
amount of population which few other countries could,
in their present state, support. The economy of soil
everywhere perceptible, combined with the fact of
the early age at which every person is married, give
probability to the largest estimate of the population of
China.
As we approached the terminus of the canal, the
usual signs of a village holiday were visible, in the
Q 2
228 DRAGON-BOATS TRAVELLERS' REST.
approach of two boats, which were either preparing for
a race to contest their relative speed, or about to per-
form some act of traditionary superstition. Each boat
was manned by twenty men, who bore paddles gaudily
ornamented with paint, and were decked out in a
fancy costume, with colours and dress to distinguish
their boats. A man stood upright beating a drum,
to the time of which they adapted their strokes.
The bridges were very numerous, and generally
bore inscriptions, intimating the date of their erection.
They were formed of steps projecting inwards one
beyond another, so as to cause the sides of the
bridges gradually to approach each other at the top.
Large flat slabs of stone were laid across, forming the
highest point of junction. Only one bridge, built
with a regular arch, crossed the canal. Every three
or four miles there was a building, in which travellers
are permitted to rest, and tea is supplied gratuitously
at the expense of some wealthy and benevolent indi-
viduals. Some of the working-people were resting
under the cool shade of these buildings, and refreshing
themselves with this gratuitous beverage, as we passed
in our boat. The benevolent supporters of these
institutions find their reward in the respect entertained
towards them during life, and in the honours paid to
their memory after death. Lofty stone arches, with
public inscriptions, testified in every hamlet the fre-
quency of such instances of liberality and worth.
I landed at a little village near the terminus of the
canal, and proceeded, in a chair, over the hills to the
Budhist monastery at Teen-tung. About sun-set I
was domiciled in some apartments, which I was per-
mitted to appropriate to my use, in one of the
BUDHIST VIGILS IN MONASTERY. 229
quadrangles of the monastery. My luggage was
deposited in the inner room, in which I slept, leaving
my boy to occupy the outer room. In the latter was
a large idol, which brought us occasional visits from
some of the worshippers. One of the earliest visitors
was a priest, who, after lighting a few fragrant sticks
and presenting them to the idol, bowed down before
it, knocking his head three times against the ground.
The frequent sounds of bells and gongs during the
night deprived me of those peaceful slumbers, which
I might have expected to obtain in a more favourable
situation. These vigils of the Budhist monks were
far from being calculated to soothe the mind. On
such a spot, however, feelings of thankfulness were
sometimes more vividly realized than elsewhere, at
the remembrance of that grace which alone makes a
Christian to differ from the heathen around him.
Sept. \>th I was disturbed at an early hour by a
priest groaning in the ante-room, and uttering doleful
sounds, as he prostrated his body before the hideous
idol, after re-lighting the perfume-sticks. I remon-
strated with the poor creature, who, with a vacant
stare, asked me whether there were no Budhist
priests in my own country, and what idols we wor-
shipped. I gave him a tract, which he was unable
to read, and which I therefore received again. In
the afternoon I passed through some of the lesser
temples, in which a few priests were performing their
customary mummeries. I was at length attracted to
the principal temple, in which about thirty priests
were engaged in celebrating the evening service. The
abbot stood in the centre with his face towards a
colossal idol, at the distance of a few yards. A
230 IDOLATROUS SERVICES.
number of priests were marshalled in a row at a little
distance on either side. At the tinkling of a bell they
commenced a chant in slow time, and gradually
increased in rapidity of utterance, as the quick beating
of a hollow sounding-board led to an equally quick
articulation of their unmeaning sounds, sometimes in
a rehearsing, and at other times in a singing tone.
Some of the priests, while repeating the sounds,
secretly held out their hands towards me, making
signs for some of the books which I carried under my
arm. At length they all bowed down for some
minutes before the idol, with their muffled faces on
the ground. The sight of such an instance of delusion
overcame all hesitation on my part ; and proceeding
at once into the temple, I passed between the rows of
priests, and placed a tract before each of them, as they
lay on the pavement beating their heads. The tract
contained a remonstrance against the sin of idolatry,
and was written by a Chinese Christian, Leang Afa,
himself a convert from idolatry.
In the evening I proceeded to an out-temple distant
a few hundred yards, where two priests were stationed.
They appeared to take pleasure in exhibiting the
ugly little idols, which were enshrined within the
principal hall. As I remonstrated with them, in the
presence of many other persons, on their folly
in asking me to worship such senseless blocks, I
proceeded to point to the idols with my umbrella ;
whereupon the principal idol soon gave way to the
force with which, in my carelessness, I poked its
various parts. The whole assemblage burst into a
loud laugh, on which I was emboldened to show how
little the other idols could help themselves. As I
EXPLORATORY VISIT TO DISTANT VILLAGES. 231
gave them a slight thrust they trembled, tottered, and
tumbled from their thrones. The people again laughed
heartily, as the priests tried for some time in vain to
make one of the idols maintain its sitting posture, the
fall having disordered its component parts. Thinking
that this liberty might put their good humour to
too severe a test, I became more serious in my
manner, and spoke of the wrath of God on those
who thus dishonour His name. The only intelligible
reply which I received was, that it was the Chinese
custom to worship idols. In an adjoining room were
a number of pikes lying in different directions. With
these the priests arm themselves in case of robbery
or depredation on the bamboo-plantations, which are
an important source of income to the monastery.
Sept. llth I set out, in a chair, on a visit to a part
of the country distant about five miles, and previously
unexplored by Europeans. As I was leaving the
monastery, I met some women, who were coming to
the temple to worship the idols. I gave them a few
books to take to their homes, which they were at first
unwilling to receive, and requested to know how
much money they were to pay for them. The first
large village, through which I passed, had never before
been visited by a Western foreigner, and I was conse-
quently an object of eager curiosity to the old, and of
unmingled terror to the young. As I was carried
through the long street of the village, the child-
ren on all sides hurried away, screaming with
fright, to their mothers. In the police of this district,
the principle of self-government seemed to be
carried out in its fullest extent. In every place
there were some elder men elected as the responsible
232 RECEPTION AMONG THE COUNTRY-PEOPLE.
heads of the village. There was no Mandarin at
any place nearer than Ningpo. The revenue was
collected by a resident officer at each place, termed a
te-paou, who, beyond the collection of the land-tax,
possessed no authority, and received for his services
about double a working-labourer's pay. The prin-
cipal proprietor was a tea-grower, whose little farm
lay on the adjoining hills. He was disappointed at
my inability to give him a book, my stock being ex-
hausted. One little group of men sought to obtain
some tracts ; but on my testing the extent of their
scholarship, I ascertained that not one of them could
read. One of them, however, made a few unsuccessful
attempts to guess at the sounds of the characters on
the title-page. Many who asked for books were
unable to pass this ordeal of reading the title-page,
and showed disappointment at meeting with a conse-
quent refusal of their request. At the top of one
of the hills was a resting-place, with the usual
appendage of an idol, under a long shed. An old
preist, who had charge of the building, brought some
tea, of which I partook. He endeavoured to raise
himself in my estimation by telling me that his
daughter was married to an Englishman. A by-
stander hereupon whispered into my ear that the
priest had sold his daughter for two or three hundred
dollars. Before becoming priests, some of the monks
have engaged in secular affairs, and brought up
families of children ; the death of a wife being, in
cases of poverty, sometimes an occasion of the husband
retiring to a monastery for an easy subsistence. The
furthest of the hills, to which I extended my visit,
afforded a view of the sea from its summit. The
INQUIRING SPIRIT OF A TEA-FARMER. 233
neighbouring hills were named the Yang-so san, the
Hwang-ge san, the Woo-ge san, and the Pow-tai san. A
number of rocky islets were dotted about at a little
distance from the shore, and a few fishing-craft were
in sight. A marine village lay beneath us, called the
Yang-haou keae. Although I was at the distance
of twenty-five miles from any other foreigner, the
people were everywhere friendly, peaceable, and
apparently pleased with my visit. I was dependent
on the services of two Chinese chair-bearers, whom I
had never seen but once before. The same civility
was perceptible everywhere as I returned.
In the evening, as I passed through one of the
large temples by a shorter way, one of the priests,
possessing more than a usual share of impudence,
urged me to comply with the usual custom of making
obeisance to the large idol. I remonstrated with him
on the absurdity of his wishing me to worship a thing
made of wood and stone. He slunk away half
ashamed. A young priest, of about eighteen years of
age, watched his exit, and, approaching me, said,
probably with the view of ingratiating himself in my
favour, Sze-mei seen-sang pai poo-suh puh haou teih,
" Smith, teacher, it is a bad thing to worship idols."
I gave him a tract ; but found again, to my disap-
pointment, that he could not read, and was practically
removed beyond the means of instruction.
The tea-farmer, whom I met at the village of San-
dang-dow, visited me the next morning, having come
three miles to obtain the books which I promised him.
His visiting card of pink paper bore the names, Jin
ting-yuen, and he stated his age to be fifty-three years.
He stated that his village consisted of about ninety
234 FRIENDLINESS OF THE ABBOT.
houses, and that the inhabitants were engaged in
agricultural pursuits, raising crops of rice, and a herb
called teen-tsing, which is extensively used for dying
blue. Neither wheat nor cotton was grown in the
vicinity. Large quantities of green tea were also
cultivated. He said that the annual sum paid by
himself, in Government duties, amounted to seventy
taels of silver, equivalent to about 23 sterling. He
came attired in his best clothes, and invited me to
pay their village another visit the same evening, and
to take a meal at his house.
Soon after his departure the abbot returned my
call. He seemed in very good spirits, and not at all
displeased with my recent irregularity in distribu-
ting the tracts against idolatry among the priests
while engaged in their temple-services. He was also
disposed to acquiesce in my proposal, that a friend
from Ningpo should be permitted to occupy a suite
of rooms, either in the monastery, or in an out-temple
situated at the head of a pretty valley, half-a-mile
distant, on the consideration of his receiving payment
to the amount of five dollars a month. On the pre-
vious day he affected to make objections, on the ground
of our killing fowls and other animals for food, which
practice was contrary to the maxims of the Budhist
religion. He now appeared to be perfectly reconciled
to the project, and intimated that he did not object
even to foreign ladies visiting the place as temporary
inmates ; which intimation removed another serious
difficulty in the way of my friend bringing his family
hither for a change of air. He presented me with
some of the sacred books of the Budhists, and after-
wards took me to see some rooms, which he placed at
HOSPITALITY OF VILLAGERS. 235
our service, having succeeded in effecting a compro-
mise with his former scruples.
In the evening I was carried to the village, three
miles distant, to pay my friend the tea-farmer my pro-
mised visit. One of the neighbouring peasants, called
A-luh, who had attached himself to me as a chair-bearer
and conductor, and was useful to me as an interpreter,
being able to mingle a certain degree of the Mandarin
dialect with the unintelligible patois of the district,
proceeded to give me various items of information as
we proceeded on our way. One of the facts commu-
nicated to me by A-luh was to the effect that there
were no robbers nor thieves in the neighbourhood, the
people being very devout in worshipping idols. If
this questionable plea of morality be admissible, it
shows that idolatry exerts a moral check on the mind,
and that superstition wields a greater power of re-
straint over the fears of men than atheism. On my
arrival at Jin's house I was surrounded by a number
of his friends, who came to see the strange wonder of
foreign features and a foreign garb. After handling
my garments, and admiring the texture, with other
similar outbreaks of curiosity, they showed some evi-
dences of confidence in my good intentions, by bring-
ing to me some sick persons, and especially those
afflicted with diseases of the eye. I examined a few
cases with sufficient attention to indicate my friendly
interest, and then promised to write out the Chinese
address of a medical Missionary friend at Ningpo,
with a recommendation of their case for medical aid,
in English. They asked how much money they were
to pay ; and were delighted at receiving the promise
of a general recommendation for any inhabitants of
236 APPLICATIONS FOR MEDICAL AID.
their village, who might proceed to the city for
gratuitous cure. Here A-luh in some measure
incurred my displeasure by his unwillingness to in-
terpret the full meaning of my words. I requested
him to explain that my friend the physician was, like
myself, a worshipper of Jesus, and wished to do them
kindness, in compliance with the rules of our religion.
A-luh would, however, only say that we were good
men ; and though I urged him to explain the whole of
my remarks, he continued heedless .of my solicitations,
and persisted to the last in avoiding the literal phrase.
He belonged to a poor oppressed hereditary class of
bondsmen, known by the name of Do-be in the local
dialect, to whom allusion will hereafter be made ; and
perhaps his fears might have got the better of his
general desire to please. As I was writing the re-
commendations for medical aid, some cakes, tea, wine,
and other provisions were served on a table, of which
the master of the house and myself alone partook. On
my asking whether I might live among them in the
village, he replied in the affirmative, and offered me
the use of an upper room in his own house. I asked
if they were afraid of the Mandarins, or the te-paou; to
which they replied that they were not afraid, and that
the latter officer had no authority to interfere in such
matters. They also said that they would welcome
and treat kindly any of my friends, who would come
to distribute books and speak to them concerning our
doctrines. The Chinese are very lavish in promises
and compliments ; but there was no reason for doubt-
ing, in the present instance, the sincerity and cor-
diality of their assurances.
Before I returned to Teen-tung, my host took me
GRACE TO AN IDOL. 237
by a winding path, overgrown with shrubs, along the
side of a little hill to a retired spot, where there was
a temple with its superintending monk. All the love-
liest spots in these parts appeared to be appropriated
to temples and monasteries. After taking tea with
the priest, and leaving some books, I took my depar-
ture towards Teen-tung. The friendly sounds of Sze-
mei seen-sang and Sze-mei laou-yay greeted me from
almost every little group of houses, and indicated the
kind spirit with which they welcomed my visit among
them. The principal regret which I felt was my in-
ability to speak to them, except a few words through
my refractory Mandarin-interpreter.
Sept. 19th When taking a morning walk around
the different squares of the monastery, I was attracted
to the large dining-hall by the notes of preparation
and the summons of the monks to their second meal
at nine A. M. The abbot was seated at a table on a
raised platform, occupied by himself alone. The rest
sat at long tables on either side, and awaited in solemn
silence the signal to commence. An attendant car-
ried round a large vessel containing rice, from which
the abbot, and afterwards the rest of the priests in
turn, helped themselves. Another large vessel was
carried round, from which some soup of most nauseous
odour was served out in a ladle. They all continued
absorbed in silence without beginning their meal ; while
one of the priests, who ministered on the occasion,
took a small portion of rice, and carried it outside the
building, where he placed it very devoutly on a stone
slab. After bowing reverently to it two or three
times, he returned to the hall, on which the sparrows
quickly made their appearance to devour the sacred
238 DISTINCTIONS OF MONASTIC RANK.
morsels. When he had resumed his position in the
centre of the hall, another priest began to tinkle a
bell, whereupon they all commenced singing, in
regular time, a prayer or grace to the idol, which oc-
cupied about five minutes. At the conclusion of the
prayer, they proceeded to partake of the meal before
them, not a syllable being exchanged between any of
the priests, all of whom appeared to be under the in-
fluence of serious awe. At the conclusion of this
scanty and unsavoury repast, they again, with uplifted
palms, returned thanks, each priest rising and bowing
to the idol as he left the hall. On making his exit,
the abbot directed his steps towards the place where
I had been a quiet spectator of their meal, and invited
me to accompany him to a portion of the temple, oc-
cupied for the present by a priest who had come to
visit him from a distance, and to whom he wished to
introduce me. All the priests rose, when the superior
of the monastery made his appearance. There was
evidently a difference of rank in the priests, some of
whom were employed in menial offices, while others
were better clad and secured a larger share of atten-
tion. This probably originated in the fact of there
being several distinct endowments of the monastery,
the priests appearing to enjoy a degree of affluence
proportioned to the nature of the foundation, to which
they happened to belong. Most of them, however,
appeared to be in deep poverty, and were willing to
descend to any act of servility for the smallest sum of
money.
In the large temple at the entrance a number of
women were occasionally assembled from the neigh-
bouring villages to consult the hwui-do idol. This
ASCENT OF THE TAE-PIH-SAN RIDGE. 239
divinity is said to have been originally imported from
Siam, and is very generally consulted by traders,
husbandmen, and mariners, previously to undertaking
any business of importance. The worshippers burnt
a few incense-sticks before the idol, and then took a
round wooden case containing some tallies regularly
numbered, which they waved over the fumes of sacred
incense. After knocking their heads on the floor, they
next proceeded to shake the wooden case till a tally
dropped out. The process was repeated till a second
fell from the case. Both tallies were taken to a priest
sitting at a table near the entrance, who received a
small fee, and gave in return two pieces of paper cor-
responding in their numbers with those of the tallies.
These slips contained a number of maxims and direc-
tions on the various matters of daily life, from which
their superstition or secret wishes led them to extract
the response of the deity.
In the afternoon I ascended the range of lofty hills
known by the name Tae-pih-san. I was borne on
the usual chair of two bamboo-poles joined together.
In this manner my Chinese companions climbed, with
much difficulty, the steep acclivity of the path, leading
through a little forest of brush- wood for the first
half mile, over which I proceeded, partly lifted and
partly treading the ground with my feet from
the chair. Our path was afterwards less impeded
by shrubs ; but the ascent was at times so steep and
rugged as to be attended with some degree of hazard.
The Chinese, however, toiled on, and ascended hill
after hill, separated from each other by alternate
descents and sloping rises. At last we reached the
summit, after an hour and a half's labour. None
of my companions had ever before ascended to the
240 VIEW FROM THE SUMMIT.
top, though born and educated in the neighbour-
hood. Near the summit was a little well of cold
water, dedicated, by popular superstition, to the tung-
fiai lung-wang, " The Dragon-prince of the Eastern
Ocean," whose idol, carved out of a rude half-finished
stone, was almost concealed by the bushes. It was so
overgrown with shrubs that it required some time to
cut them away and open the idol to their view.
Here two of the Chinese commenced worshipping and
bowing their heads to the water in the well ; while the
two others yielded to my remonstrances, and abstained
from any open act of the kind. We remained about
half an hour on the summit of the hill, which is esti-
mated at about 3000 feet above the level of the sea.
As these hills formed a part of the promontory called
Ke-tow point, there was an extensive view of the sea
on three sides. Over against us lay the beautiful
island of Chusan, at the distance of thirty miles. On
our left, the declining sun w r as now gilding with its
softened rays the town of Chin-hai, which was partially
concealed by the bold towering rocks at the entrance
of the river. Further inland lay the city of Ningpo,
almost concealed by a passing thunder-cloud, which
was rolling its deep sounds in the valley beneath us.
On the south-west we descried the Tung-woo, with its
spacious waters inclosed between the granite hills,
which environed it on all sides. My conductors
brought me some leaves of the tea-shrub, w r hich was
here growing wild, and invited me to chew them as a
substitute for a better beverage. The taste was un-
pleasant, and I could as easily have detected the
flavour of tea in a number of gooseberry leaves.
On our descent we returned, by a different route, to
a spot about three miles from the place of our ascent.
HOSPITALITY OF A CHINESE GENTLEMAN. 241
The hills lower down had large tracts of soil occupied
by tea-plantations. In different parts, the rustics who
were working in the fields anxiously inquired of my
guides what were my objects in coming there, and
where I had been. A few words seemed to relieve
their anxiety, and we proceeded downward by the
channel of a mountain-stream. At the bottom the
stream enlarged its bed, and flowed through the valley
into numerous canals, which diverged from each
other, and intersected the country like hedge-rows in
a European scene, serving as substitutes for roads in
the transit of the produce of the land. I was taken
to the principal man of the village into which we
came, which was of a straggling form, containing at
least 2000 people. He received me hospitably into
his extensive abode, which consisted of buildings
forming a square, and inclosing a court in the centre,
after the manner of the better sort of Chinese dwell-
ings. My host was a clothier and clothes' dyer, having
several shops in the neighbourhood. He appeared to
be a person of some wealth, and his ambition had risen
proportionably with the increase of his possessions.
He had lately purchased the nominal rank of a gold
knob or button on his cap. I had not long been
seated before some ducks' eggs and rice-cakes, with
tea, were brought, of which the old gentleman and
myself partook. He was very inquisitive, and A-luh
volunteered to explain my objects and character, in
the course of which he caused me some annoyance by
saying that I was the same as an English Bonze or
Budhist priest, hung-maou ho-shang, a comparison
which my religious objects, my being unmarried, and
my recent refusal to take some wine, probably led
242 RETURN TO THE CITY.
him to make. This I contradicted at the time ; but
on my afterwards reproving A-luh for his folly in
comparing me to so wicked and ignorant a class of
men, he affected innocence, and protested that he had
been first asked the question whether I was such, and
had merely denied the fact. Our path now lay over
rice-fields, interspersed with tombs and monumental
arches, if horizontal stones placed above perpendicular
pillars can strictly merit the name. One tomb ex-
ceeded the rest in beauty, having been erected to the
memory of a Fokeen man named Hwang, who had
come to open a trading hong at Ningpo, and died
three years ago at a distance from his native province.
He died in youth ; and, as a lucky place could not be
purchased nearer to the city, was brought hither for
interment, at the distance of twenty miles. We ar-
rived at the monastery as it was growing dark, after
an absence of five hours.
Sept. 20th At daybreak I set out on my return for
Ningpo, the people exchanging kind looks, and in
many cases a farewell greeting, as I passed through
their villages to the canal five or six miles distant.
By mid-day I arrived at the city, after a disagreeable
journey in the boat, from the heat and the dirty habits
of the Chinese who were my fellow-passengers. At
each of the different villages we took in a fresh set of
noisy companions.
CHAPTER XVII.
CONCLUDING OCCURRENCES AT NINGPO, AND DEPARTURE
FOR CHUSAN.
ROMAN CATHOLICS IN NINGPO CHINESE MILITARY ARCHERY
EBULLITION OF POPULAR ODIUM AGAINST THE NEW " CHE-
HEEN " EFFECT OF READING THE NEW TESTAMENT ON A
NATIVE MERCHANT REBELLION OF FUNG-KWA REPULSE
OF TROOPS FINAL COMPROMISE A CLASS OF HEREDITARY
BONDSMEN RELIGIOUS SERVICE REVIEW OF ACTUAL
MISSIONARY LABOURS AT NINGPO ARRIVAL AT CHUSAN
THE VISIT AND RECEPTION OF THE FRENCH EMBASSY
CHRISTIAN SERVICES AMONG BRITISH TROOPS IN A BUDHIST
TEMPLE.
SEPT. 2lst During one of the occasional walks which
I took into the streets near my house, in order to dis-
tribute tracts, I entered into the house of an oil-
merchant. He and his partners rose to welcome me,
and one of them advanced to shake hands with me,
after the English custom. As we sipped tea together,
they asked me many questions ; and finding that this
was our Sabbath-day, they quickly turned to the
Christian Almanac, a copy of which had by some
means found its way into their possession ; and after
inspecting the calendar they confirmed my statement.
One of them for some minutes read aloud a part of a
tract which I had given them. Among other ques-
tions, they asked me whether I was a Roman Catholic.
They afterwards told me that there were only a very
R 2
244 ROMAN CATHOLICS IN NINGPO.
few Roman-Catholic natives in Ningpo, and that they
principally belonged to the middle class of tradesmen.
They also said that this sect secretly practised their
religion, and at the same time worshipped idols, in
order to escape detection, as the Mandarins would
punish any person known to profess the teen-choo-keaou,
" the religion of the Lord of Heaven." On the other
hand, they said that the Mahomedans were more nu-
merous, and were under no such danger or prohibi-
tion, as several were to be found among the Mongol
Tartars, and a few even among the Manchows.
Sept. 22d The son of Doctor Chang paid me a
visit, to convey to me a present from his father, and
also to take me to see the military exercising, at the
distance of about a mile. Under a shed, screened
from the sun by some canvas, were seated two mili-
tary subalterns, wearing white knobs on their caps.
They were engaged in smoking and drinking tea from
time to time ; while the soldiers came up in compa-
nies of five, and, after answering to their names, shot
six arrows each at a target about eighty yards distant.
They wore a velvet cap, with a red silk tassel, similar
to that generally worn by the higher classes of native
gentry in winter. Their outer garment was a long
flowing robe of blue cotton, reaching to the ankle, and
fastened by a leather girdle around the waist. They
had thick black boots, of a strong texture, reaching
up the leg to the knee. After poising their frame,
and throwing their body into various contortions, each
of the soldiers deliberately took aim, and the arrow
was propelled from their clumsy bow to the target.
This consisted of a frame made of paper, about two
yards in height and one in breadth. It had a white
MILITARY ARCHERY. 245
mark about a yard in length and three inches in width,
running down the centre, in which were three red
bulls' eyes at a distance of six inches from each other.
More than half the arrows struck the target, on which
a drum was beaten to announce the successful hit. A
few soldiers shot with remarkable skill, one man
hitting the central bull's eye three times out of the
first four arrows. One of the subalterns kept a
check-book, in which he noted down, opposite each
soldier's name, his number of marks, sometimes making
observations or giving directions in a scolding tone to
any soldier who shot badly. Some of them appeared
to experience nervousness under the lecture, and the
reproof invariably took away all remaining chance of
the individual hitting the mark. One or two men,
after a random-shot, were ordered off without finish-
ing their number of arrows. A prize is given to the
successful archer, and his promotion is thereby deter-
mined. There are regular trials for military degrees,
similar to the literary examinations for civil offices,
with the same titles of sew-tsai, Jceu-jin, &c., which are
determined by similar exercises in archery, gunnery,
equestrianism, and other details of military duty.
Promotion is dispensed accordingly, and the most
aspiring may hope to rise in their profession. The
appearance of these soldiers was far from being martial
or military ; and the reflection that such as these were
the defenders of the Celestial Empire from invasion
and conquest, was calculated to provoke the most ridi-
culous comparisons. The Chinese have, however,
gained experience in the late war ; and by adopting
an improvement in their gunpowder, and the addition
of wheels and swivels to their cannon, they might, in
246 CHINESE SYSTEM OF MILITARY BREVETS.
a future collision with a foreign power, offer a much
more protracted resistance than in their past struggle
with the British. Among the Tartar generals there
exist unquestionably the highest chivalry and courage
in defence of the Empire. But before the prowess and
skill of the West they must finally bend in every con-
flict, until they can overcome their reluctant scruples,
and encourage the immigration and services of foreign
engineers. The latter policy would involve so decided
a departure from old-established ideas, and would be
so marked an abandonment of that portion of national
isolation which remains, that such an era in the his-
tory of this race seems indefinitely distant. There
has been a precedent of a similar policy in the astro-
nomical services of foreigners at the capital. But no-
thing else than the imminent peril of the Government,
and the impending dissolution of the Empire, appears
likely to effect the admission of French or American
engineers to the confidence of the Government. In
that respect, Mehemet Ali and the Porte are a thou-
sand years in advance of the Chinese.
During this week the military exercises continued
in different parts of the suburbs, and in some open
spaces within the city. Each day a printed list of the
order and details of a military review was circulated
among the people. The cavalry and mounted bow-
men practised their exercises outside the eastern gate.
It was generally rumoured that these trials were pre-
paratory to conferring a brevet of military degrees
and promotion.
Sept. 23d The report was this day confirmed of
the removal of Yih-kwan, the che-heen or district
magistrate of Ningpo, to the district magistracy of
POPULAR ODIUM AGAINST THE NEW CHE-HEEN. 247
Chapoo. He was a rich man, and therefore might
expect rapidly to ascend the ladder of preferment in
the present impoverished state of the exchequer, the
lucrative offices of Government being frequently con-
ferred on the wealthiest purchaser. His successor
was the che-heen of Chin-hai, named Lai, who came
to Ningpo under a load of popular odium. Placards
were issued from anonymous writers, warning the
people against the extortions of one of his principal
servants, and abounding with charges of corruption
against the che-heen himself. In making out a recent
list of the candidates for the degree of sew-tsai in his
district, he was charged with having placed, for a
bribe of 2000 dollars, one of the inferior candidates at
the top of the list of probationary sew-tsai, before
nine or ten others more deserving of the first place of
honourable mention. The list was republished on
these placards, containing the names of the various
probationers regularly registered, with the exception
of the first name, which, in consequence of the ru-
moured bribe, was omitted, and the candidate simply
announced as " Mr. Two Thousand Dollars." These
anonymous manifestos and ebullitions of popular in-
dignation against corrupt or unpopular officers of the
Government form a powerful engine of public opinion,
and are the only substitute for a free press. It was
generally believed that the new che-heen would have
some difficulty in maintaining his ground against these
public manifestos of the irate " scholars and gentry,"
and would be compelled to leave the place. The
matter was likely to come to the ears of the che-foo,
his superior, in which event the che-heen would be
called to account. The next step in the usual course
248 VENAL CORRUPTION OF SUBORDINATE RULERS.
of venal corruption then follows. He partly confesses,
but agrees to share the bribe with the che-foo. Here
the affair terminates for the present ; but if the taou-
tai take up the matter, he too must be subsidized in
a portion of the 2000 dollars. Thus, by the partition
of the ill-gotten bribe, the che-heen retains his office,
the people vent their indignation in vain, and a cor-
rupt administration of the local government is almost
hopelessly perpetuated.
Sept. 2Qth The strongly-expressed opinions of my
medical advisers on the personal hazard of my re-
maining during another hot season in China, led
me reluctantly to make preparations for underletting
the lease of my house, and taking my early depar-
ture from Ningpo, in order to visit the other con-
sular cities during the winter. The arrangements
for bringing my successor's commercial goods into
his new dwelling were for a day or two the means
of attracting several native merchants and shroffs to
my house, among whom I had opportunities of dis-
tributing books. One of them was seen frequently
perusing the books, and sometimes came to me to
ask questions respecting them. In the early part
of the morning I gave him a copy of the Epistle
of St. James, translated into Chinese, which he was
engaged for some time in reading. Two hours after,
on my returning from a neighbouring street, I had to
borrow from him a few coins to send to a beggar who
lay in the last extremity of sickness at the entrance of
a neighbouring temple. My Chinese friend seemed
surprised at my conduct, and asked my reasons for
taking any interest in the beggar, who was neither a
relative nor a countryman of mine. I replied that the
EFFECT OF READING THE NEW TESTAMENT. 249
Supreme Ruler of Heaven commanded us to do good
to all men. He commended the action, and then
went away. He paced up and down in an adjoining
room, appearing absorbed in thought, and emitting
thick clouds of tobacco-smoke from his nostrils. He
then took up one of the books, and after reading it a
few moments, returned to me with pleasure depicted
on his countenance, as if he had made some discovery
which satisfactorily explained the questions passing
through his mind. "Teacher," said he, "I under-
stand it ! I understand it ! " He then pointed to
the second chapter and eighth verse of St. James's
Epistle, If ye fulfil the royal law according to the
scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself,
ye do well. He highly commended the morality
contained in that portion of our holy Scriptures, but
said that Confucius enjoined the same duty almost in
the same terms. He affirmed that there was a pas-
sage of the same kind in the " Four Books." * In a
subsequent part of our conversation he acknowledged
* The original passage is an extract from a Commentary on
one of the ancient classics. This Commentary is supposed to have
been written a few centuries subsequent to the Christian era. The
universal duty of benevolence is stated in a negative form, and
consequently with a diminished force, to the following effect : " What-
soever you are unwilling that others should do unto you, be unwill-
ing to do unto them." Another extract states that "The whole
system of Confucius's doctrine consists in fidelity and lenity alone."
The sceptical atheism of Chinese literati, and their disbelief of a
future state, are seen also in another statement. "Confucius said,
Not being able to serve men, how can we serve spirits ? Not being
fully acquainted with the affairs of this life, how can we possibly
know the things after death ?"
250 EARLY CLOSING OF THE CITY-GATES.
that he had never prayed for forgiveness of sin ; and
that as we could obtain so little knowledge about the
next world, the Confucians considered it unnecessary
to trouble themselves about matters so uncertain.
Sept. 21th On my going from the city, to sleep at
a friend's house on the opposite side of the river, I
had some apprehensions of not being allowed to pass
through the city gate. It was rumoured that the
Mandarins had ordered all the six gates to be closed
at an early hour in the evening, and a seal to be
affixed to each of them, in order to prevent any open-
ing of the gates by bribing the soldiers of the watch.
I found the North gate closed, but experienced no
difficulty in having it opened. This I had often done
before at the North, the Salt, and the East gates of the
city ; the gate-keeper usually calling the next morn-
ing for a gratuity of a hundred copper cash. On my
approach to the gate this evening, the keeper at once
pronounced my name and residence, the former gra-
tuities having produced a remarkable effect on his
powers of memory. I easily induced him to open the
huge ponderous gate for myself and two Chinese.
The cause of the early closing of the city gates was
the serious outbreak of popular fury at Fung-kwa,
about twenty miles distant, one of the districts in the
department of Ningpo. The circumstances which
gave rise to this tumult were said to be the follow-
ing : In the examinations for the literary degree of
sew-tsai, in the last year, the che-heen of Fung-kwa was
charged with gross and flagrant partiality, the result of
bribery. The same functionary had also, about the
same time, levied an unauthorized amount of taxes on
the people in his district. During the past year, the
KEBELLION OF FUNG-KWA. 251
people of Fung-kwa heen had sent a petition, through
the che-heen, to the Imperial Government, requesting
that a considerable sum might be remitted from their
taxes. A favourable reply had been received from
Peking, remitting 2000 taels, which the che-heen con-
trived to keep secret. He proceeded to levy the full
amount of taxes, on the pretext that the petition had
been unsuccessful, and placed the 2000 taels in his
own pocket. This had been detected by the people,
from whom a deputation of literary graduates was
sent to Peking. Their petition was referred to the
che-foo of Ningpo, who received an order to redress
their grievances. The che-foo, who was suspected of
being in league with the che-heen, and of being an-
noyed with the memorialists for their spirited inter-
ference, passed several slighting remarks, and affected
to doubt the fact of their literary degree. He ordered
the "Four Books" to be placed in the hands of some
of them, that he might on the spot be satisfied of their
scholarship. This insult the scholars could not brook.
They refused to pass any such ordeal, saying that
they came to have their wrongs redressed, and not to
submit to a literary examination. The consequence
was that they were rather roughly treated, and it was
said that some of them were even bambooed on the
spot by order of the che-foo. The time of retribu-
tion, however, drew nigh. On the first day of the
literary examinations the assembled scholars rose
against the authorities, and, being joined by the popu-
lace, put the che-heen to flight, and spread disorder
and consternation over the whole district. Popular
report affirmed that they were about to march on the
city of Ningpo, and capture it by a coup- de-main. A
252 A CLASS OF HEREDITARY BONDSMEN.
deputation of three Mandarins, who had been sent
from Ningpo to negotiate with the infuriated people,
were severely beaten, and their sedan-chairs broken
to pieces. The only officer, to whom the scholars
were willing to listen, was said to be the deposed taou-
tai, Loo ta-laou-yay, which fact was another proof of
the public integrity of the disgraced functionary. The
tumult of Fung-kwa speedily grew into a regular rebel-
lion, and troops were sent from different parts of
the province to quell the disturbance. These were once
or twice routed by the populace ; and several of the
military officers, as well as the che-heen himself, sub-
sequently became the temporary patients of the two
medical Missionaries in Ningpo, who prescribed for
their wounds. The local authorities were in a panic ;
but at length, with the arrival of reinforcements, the
prospects of the rebels became gloomy, and the matter
was brought to an amicable adjustment, on the condi-
tion of the ringleader being given up for capital
punishment. The real ringleader was secretly spared,
and his place was said to be supplied by a poor
Chinese, who, for the sum of 2000 dollars paid to his
parents and family, consented to be the victim. The
Chinese gazettes soon afterwards contained a list of
military promotions, consequent on the bravery of the
troops, as reported to the emperor through the false
representations of the local authorities.
The chair-bearers, who were to be hired at almost
every corner of the streets in Ningpo, appeared to
belong to a class of hereditary bondsmen, excluded
from every honourable calling, and made, from gene-
ration to generation, the marked objects of popular
contempt, This race of beggar-population, commonly
RELIGIOUS SERVICE. 253
called do-be, were said to have had their origin during
the time of the Yuen dynasty : their numbers were
also reinforced in the Ming dynasty. They were said
to be the descendants of some criminals who, for their
offences, were, with their families, for ever incapaci-
tated for honourable employment. These criminals
were some Mandarins, guilty of treacherous transac-
tions with the Japanese. At the present time this
oppressed class supplies all the chair-bearers of the
neighbourhood. They are also employed as barbers
and head-shavers, and may perform the work of
coolies. A few of them are engaged in the lowest kind
of trades, and secretly possess considerable sums of
money. Their women are employed as nurses, and are
never saluted by other Chinese women with the usual
respectful address of " sister-in-law." The do-be class
are not allowed to wear the usual cap or garments of
respectable Chinese. A great number of them become
play-actors. They are not very numerous, being
estimated at between two or three thousand, and are
only found in the province of Che-keang, dwelling
principally in the departments of Ningpo, Shaou-hing,
and Tai-chew ; where, after a lapse of four or five cen-
turies since their primary offence, they still continue
to suffer the penalty of hereditary degradation.
Sept. 28th I attended a religious service held in
the morning by the American Missionaries, at which
there was an attendance of about sixty persons, consist-
ing principally of Chinese servants, teachers, and pupils.
It was a scene well calculated to impress the native
mind, accustomed to the superstitions of idolatry, with
the solemnity and sublimity of Christian worship ad-
dressed to the one true God. The next day, amid the
254 ACTUAL MISSIONARY LABOURS.
affectionate greetings of my friends, I paid a farewell
to Ningpo, where I had hoped to spend many years
of usefulness, but in which, from continued sickness
the effect of debilitated constitution rather than of local
insalubrity I was unable to maintain my ground.
After I had been committed to the Divine blessing by
one of the Missionary brethren whom I had last
visited, and we had mingled our prayers together, that
we might, each in the different spheres in which Pro-
vidence might place us, ever realize the Divine pre-
sence, and be employed to God's glory, I embarked,
at 10 P.M., on board a native boat, and at midnight
weighed anchor.
The circumstances of my three months' residence
at Ningpo, although a season of protracted weakness
and sickness, will ever be remembered among the
most pleasing recollections of my life. The Missio-
nary brethren from America, of whose kind atten-
tion I shall ever retain an affectionate remembrance,
were diligent in pursuing their work; and though
as yet few in number, are likely to become, as
a body, eminently useful. Only one British labourer
had at this time entered on the Station of Ningpo
a female Missionary, who, with her own independent
resources, was making a praiseworthy effort to
impart the benefits of a Christian education to about
twenty female children. The prejudices and suspi-
cions of the parents, which were at first roused by the
slightest incident, even causing the removal of every
child at the mere arrival of a steamer in the river,
had been gradually allayed by her judicious and
kind management, and their confidence was daily in-
creasing. A little babe, rescued from slow starvation,
DEPARTURE FOR CHUSAN. 255
had just been received as an inmate, on the day of my
last visit at the School. Boys could be obtained from
their parents, without difficulty, for a term of years,
to be educated by the Missionaries ; and the system
had been already partially acted on by them. But it
is only to unmarried female Missionaries and even to
such with some degree of hesitation that the Chinese
are willing to entrust the care of their female children.
Miss Aldersey, therefore, deserves the sympathy and
prayers of all who are interested in the success of
her bold experiment. Her labours have been con-
ducted, both here and previously in Java, with a
degree of perseverance and courage, which deserves to
find a place among those instances of female fortitude,
with which the history of Christian Missions abounds.
Our Chinese boat lay at anchor off Chin-hai during
the night. The next morning, also, we were detained
by foul winds for some time off the mouth of the
river. About mid-day, with the change of tide, we
proceeded towards Chusan, where we arrived, about
an hour after sunset, on September 30th.
During the first few days of my stay at Chusan, I
resided in the house of a friend on the beach, from
which I afterwards removed to the house of an
American Missionary, situated near the north gate
within the city of Tinghai.
On Oct. 3d, the French ambassador, M. Lagrene,
with his family and suite, landed at Chusan, amid a
salute of artillery from the British, and a guard of
honour. The visit of his Excellency gave a temporary
excitement to the place. Among the suite was the son
of the late Duke of Tarentum, Marshal M'Donald, who,
in the freedom of friendly hospitality, mingled with
256 CHRISTIAN SERVICES IN A BUDHIST TEMPLE.
some of the veterans, who had been opposed to his mar-
tial sire. In addition to some priests in private garb,
there was one who appeared with his Excellency on
various public occasions, and was said to be the supe-
rior of the order of St. Lazarus, whose emissaries are
numerous in China.
During my stay in Chusan I had an opportunity of
officiating on the Sundays at an afternoon service for
the troops. A Budhist temple, formerly devoted to
the service of idols, and even now bearing marks
of the late war in portions of the walls battered
by the cannon-balls of the British, was the scene of
our religious service. The whole European bat-
talion were assembled, and the Protestant part of
them marched to the building, which was ordinarily
used as a canteen for the troops. On the first occa-
sion about 500 persons were assembled, to whom I
preached a sermon on the blessedness of a Christian
death. The subject was suggested by the funeral
procession of a young naval officer, whom I had buried
during the past week, and whose remains were
attended to the grave by a body of military and part
of a man-of-war's crew, the soldiers firing, according
to custom, at the conclusion of the service.
A period of five years had elapsed since the first
occupation of the island by the British. During the
whole of this time the military residents had been
left destitute of the advantages of a resident chaplain.
The only interruption to this destitution of spiritual
instruction was the occasional visit of a man-of-war
with a naval chaplain ; who however had his appointed
duties on board his own ship, lying at some distance
from the shore. It was indeed affecting to behold
FORMER DESTITUTION OF SPIRITUAL INSTRUCTION. 257
that assemblage, the sad relics of war, climate, and
disease ; and to reflect on the numbers who had sunk
into the grave without the comforts of religion even
in their dying hour, or the ministerial offices of burial.
The deep attention depicted in every countenance in
that martial assembly seemed to tell a tale, which
might well appeal to the sympathy of statesmen, and
suggest thoughts of self-reproach for past neglect.
The French ambassador, in my hearing, drew an in-
vidious contrast between the neglect of the British
Government in leaving so large a body of soldiers for
so long a time destitute of a resident spiritual instruc-
tor, and the conduct of his own Government, who, in
addition to other priests on board the frigate, had
supplied him with a private Chaplain among his suite.
About twelve pious soldiers used also to visit me
on another evening of the week, within the city, where
I held another religious service.
I remained in Chusan for a fortnight, waiting for a
passage to Shanghai, having determined on paying a
second visit to my friend M'Clatchie, previously to
my departure to the consular ports of Foo-chow and
Amoy. During this time I made frequent excursions
into the surrounding country, and mingled in con-
tinual intercourse with the people of Tinghai, in com-
pany with the Missionary friend, whose house afforded
me the comforts of a temporary home.
CHAPTER XVIII.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF CHUSAN.
TOPOGRAPHY CHARACTER OF POPULATION NATURAL PRO-
DUCTIONS EVENTS OF FIRST CAPTURE BY BRITISH
EXCESSES OF TROOPS NATIVE PILLAGERS MENACING
EDICTS OF CHINESE GOVERNMENT CHINESE KIDNAPPERS
SUFFERINGS OF BRITISH SOLDIERS ARMISTICE AND
CESSION OF CHUSAN INSINCERITY OF CHINESE GOVERN-
MENT RE-CAPTURE OF CHUSAN RAPID SUCCESSES OF
BRITISH EXPEDITION ALONG THE COAST TREATY OF
NANKING AND RETENTION OF CHUSAN MINGLED IN-
FLUENCE OF BRITISH OCCUPATION BRITISH ADMINISTRA-
TION OF POLICE FOREIGN TRADE MISSION ARY PROSPECTS
POPULAR FEELING ON REVERTING TO THEIR OWN
NATIVE GOVERNMENT.
CHUSAN is the largest island of an archipelago of
that name, which lies off the central part of the ex-
tensive line of Chinese coast. This cluster of islands
forms a district in the department of Ningpo, named
Tinghai-heen, after the capital of Chusan, which city
is situated in latitude 30 0' 20" north, and in longi-
tude 122 5' 18" east. The island stretches, in an
irregular form, about twenty-five miles in length from
north-west to south-east, its average breadth being
about ten miles. There are eighteen principal vil-
lages in the island, together with a number of lesser
hamlets, where the cultivators of some larger farm
are collected together within a wall surrounding their
TOPOGRAPHY. 259
little dwellings. Lofty hills, rising to the height of
from 1000 to 2000 feet, intersect the country in all
directions, and enclose a number of fertile valleys,
in which crops of bean, maize, rice, and the sweet
potato, sheltered by the surrounding eminences from
the cold blast, wave in rich luxuriance, to delight the
eye and reward the toil of the husbandman. Every
valley has its little stream or rivulet, pursuing its
course down the verdant slopes, and finding a tortuous
channel to the sea. Those valleys, which open on the
beach, are guarded from the impetuous waters of the
spring-tides by broad and firmly-constructed barriers
of earth, piled along the shore, and possessing outlets,
which, at certain seasons, are opened to drain the
neighbouring rice-fields of their superabundant water.
There are few parts of the island which are not
compelled to yield some kind of produce for the
supply of human necessities. The only spots,
which escape the plough or the spade, are the
thousands of little tombs, which conceal the de-
parted dead, and whose lofty piles of grassy herb-
age, surmounting the top, denote the numerous
contributions of sacred earth which their relatives
annually make. The extraordinary number of tombs,
which cover the hills bordering on the north-west of
the city, prove its great antiquity and numerous
population. Scarcely a spot is to be seen, which is
not occupied with stone monuments, inscribed with
the names and dates of the deceased. The city itself
is of an irregular pentagonal form, about two-thirds
of a mile in length from north to south, and a little
less in average breadth from east to west. It is sur-
rounded by a wall about eighteen feet in height, and
260 APPEARANCE OF THE CITY.
fifteen in breadth, which is nearly three miles in
circuit, and through which four gates open into the
surrounding country, respectively named from the
four cardinal points. The parts of the wall, which
cross the Cameronian hill, so as to enclose portions of
it within the city, are in a state of semi-dilapidation,
the ramparts having been thrown down by the British
troops after their escalade and capture of the defences.
From this eminence a fine view is obtained of the
city, and of the harbour at the distance of a mile, with
the adjoining country and the neighbouring islets.
Several open spaces, formerly occupied by the public
offices and houses of Mandarins, remain as monuments
of the destructive ravages of British assailants. A
fine pagoda rises above the general level of the
buildings in the western part of the city. In several
of the groves, which line the neighbouring hill-sides,
are little temples, under the superintendence of one
or two priests, who are generally sent from the island
of Pootoo, the grand metropolis of Budhism in this
part of China. About a mile to the north of the city
there is a very pretty grotto and flower-garden, on a
small scale, skilfully contrived so as to represent the
usual beauties of rural scenery in a small space.
Two bridges over a stream of water, and two flights
of stone steps, lead the visitor, by a circuitous route,
to the other end of the grotto, combining a variety
of scenes, the arrangement of which is creditable to
the ingenuity of the native artist, and has been gene-
rally attractive to foreigners.
The paths over the hills and across the fields are
generally very narrow, in many parts scarcely ad-
mitting one person to walk, except with extreme care.
CHARACTER OF POPULATION. 261
Some of the valleys are very picturesque, and have
received an English name from some circumstance
happening to individual foreigners on the first, capture
of the island. Among these, the long valley, com-
monly called Anstruther's Valley, deserves mention,
so termed from the fact of a British officer of that
name being kidnapped by the Chinese in that part,
and taken prisoner to the Mandarins on the conti-
nent. The whole population of the island has been
variously estimated ; but the most probable estimate
reckons it to amount to 120,000, one-fourth of the
number being contained within the city of Tinghai.
The character of the population resembles that of
the people on the neighbouring mainland. They are
free from that turbulent hostility to foreigners, which
prevails among their countrymen in the province of
Canton. The former inhabitants of Chusan, according
to tradition, manifested great opposition to the reigning
dynasty on the first subjugation of China by the
Manchow Tartars. They are said to have resisted all
efforts to bring them to submission, and to have per-
sisted in refusing to adopt the badge of servitude,
imposed by the conquering race the modern fashion
of shaving the head and wearing a queue. This
brought on them the vengeance of the victorious
bands of Manchows, who subdued the island, and ex-
terminated the whole race of the original inhabitants,
whose place was supplied by an emigration from
Ningpo of the ancestors of the present population.
The mass of the people consists of agriculturists and
fishermen, the traders forming but a small proportion
of the whole, except within the city. Under the
Chinese regime, which prevailed previously to the
262 NATURAL PRODUCTIONS.
occupation of the island by the British, the produce
of the soil was divided into ten parts, of which one
was paid to the Government, four to the proprietor
of the land, and the remaining five were the property
of the cultivator. There are some rich landowners,
but few of them have resided on the island since the
war. The fertility of the soil is such, that from the
same ground two crops of rice, besides vegetables, are
raised with little labour, and that little is required only
at one season of the year. Their ploughs are worked
by a single buffalo ; and, after the grain is sown, the
principal labour is that of irrigation. This is gene-
rally performed by means of a circular machine,
worked by a buffalo ; the water being raised, by a
series of pieces of wood attached to a strap, into a
higher level from the stream or dyke below. The
harvests usually take place between the months of
August and November. Rice is raised in quantities
more than sufficient to support the whole population.
From the surplus a kind of spirit is distilled, called
samshoo, which forms the principal article of export.
Vegetable tallow, tea, sweet potatoes, and cotton,
are also produced for home-consumption. The manu-
facture of salt, bricks, and various articles of domestic
use, furnish employment to a portion of the population.
The people have the character of being industrious
and easily governed. Highway robbery, though not
unknown, is of extremely rare occurrence. House-
breaking is more common, and petty thefts are of
daily occurrence. The population of the neighbouring
islands is scanty, some of them having only one or
two families, while others are entirely destitute of
inhabitants. It is composed of the same classes of
EMPLOYMENTS OF PEOPLE. 263
people as the inhabitants of Chusan, consisting of
agriculturists, fishermen, and salt-makers. Pirates
and freebooters, chiefly from the more southern
province of Fokeen, frequent the neighbouring pas-
sages, but have never been known to attack Euro-
peans. The native craft are sometimes collected
together in Chusan harbour, so as to form a mutual
convoy against these depredators on their voyage
southward. In July of the present year, out of 180
junks, which left the harbour together, 160 were
compelled to return within four hours afterwards,
with the loss of a few sailors, who were wounded
by the spears of the pirates. Some cases of piracy
have taken place close to the harbour; but there
are no grounds for suspecting the people of Chusan
to be implicated in these deeds of crime.
There are passage-boats constantly plying between
Chusan and Ningpo, by which natives are brought the
whole distance for the small sum of 200 copper cash,
equal to about eightpence. There is a considerable
intercourse between the two places, the more respect-
able merchants residing at the city of Ningpo. They
generally transact their business at Chusan by means
of brokers and agents, and visit the island only on
extraordinary occasions. Although Chusan possesses
the elements of internal prosperity, in the natural
productions and independent resources which a boun-
tiful Providence has afforded it, there are few cases of
wealth, the people generally exhibiting the marks of
poverty and slender means of livelihood. The cases
of extreme want are, however, rare ; and every man
in health can earn, by the sweat of his brow, sufficient
to supply the ordinary demands of nature. There
264 SOCIAL CONDITION.
are only a few of those public institutions, which are
met with in richer and larger cities, for the relief of
the destitute. The poor are left to die in the streets,
or at the entrance of temples. The owners of houses
are careful to remove indigent inmates on the first
approach of fatal disease, to prevent their contamina-
tion by death, and to avoid the expenses of interment,
which legally devolve on the proprietor of the dwell-
ing in which a pauper dies. The people are friendly
and well-disposed to strangers ; and a visit to the
most distant parts of the island can be made at any
time, and without any risk of meeting with personal
violence or insulting expressions. The simple ele-
ments of society appear to be held together principally
by the bonds of patriarchal law, unwritten indeed, but
deeply rooted in the feelings of the people. The
social condition of the people of Chusan stands forth
in happy contrast with the heterogeneous elements of
which the Chinese population of Hong Kong is com-
posed, and with the nocturnal depredations on pro-
perty, and violence on person, which have long pre-
vailed there. On the testimony of those officers of
the British Government, who have had the best op-
portunities of ascertaining the truth, Chusan possesses
an industrious, orderly, and respectable class of inha-
bitants, and enjoys a general exemption from those
social disadvantages, which have converted the British
possession, off the southern coast, into a receptacle
for the most abandoned desperadoes of the adjoining
continent.
Such is the general character of an island, which is
intimately associated with the most prominent events
of the late war with China. In the beginning of July
EVENTS OF FIRST CAPTURE BY BRITISH. 265
1840, the British expedition arrived before the town of
Tinghai, the authorities of which were summoned to
surrender. There was something tragical in the oc-
currences of that time, when, in pursuance of a policy
of warfare more bold than just, the scene of conflict
was transferred from the South of China to the Central
Provinces, the inhabitants of which scarcely knew the
name of Britain until they beheld her victorious arma-
ments advancing before their defenceless homes. A
show of resistance, more ludicrous than terrible, was
offered ; and on July the 5th the British forces landed,
and, carrying every thing before them, on the next day
entered the city without a check. The old Chinese
admiral, who, in a previous parley with the British
commanders, had affected a listless composure, and
laughed heartily as he descended the foreign ship of
war, calmly encountered his unhappy destiny. He
had to choose between two alternatives. On the one
hand, was present safety to be gained by timely sur-
render, but to be followed by the speedy vengeance
of the Emperor for cowardice. On the other hand,
there remained for him the alternative of meeting
death with a dignified courage, while resisting the
enemies of his country. He preferred the path of
heroism, and fell seriously wounded. His flag-captain
was slain ; and the che-heen, the principal Civil Magis-
trate, in the hour of flight, resorted to suicide as the
termination of his disasters. The British troops were
undisputed masters of the city, which for a time be-
came a confused scene of plunder and pillage. It was
in vain that officers were stationed in the different
streets to restrain the Indian and European soldiery
in the hour of excitement. Every house was sacked,
266 EXCESSES OF TROOPS AND NATIVE PILLAGERS.
the intoxicating samshoo was eagerly sought and
drunk, and, but for the general destruction of the jars
which contained this ardent spirit, further excesses of
the most deplorable kind might have followed. Mean-
while the more respectable citizens had been fleeing
through the northern, eastern, and western gates to the
distant parts of the island, whence they quickly trans-
ported themselves to the continent, beyond the reach
of their British invaders. Proclamations were issued
from the British Commander-in-chief, offering security
of person and of property to those who were willing to
remain. But the stillness of desolation reigned every-
where ; and, as the troops advanced, only a few poor
creatures, who were unable to escape, made their ap-
pearance. They were seen coming forth from their
houses, imploring the barbarians to spare their lives,
and seeking to disarm their dreaded cruelty by offering
them tea. The lowest classes of Chinese, who, amid the
general flight of the inhabitants, remained in the island,
soon gathered boldness, and proceeded to pillage the
houses that had been abandoned by their wealthier
owners, and to carry the booty from the city. This led
to prohibitory measures, and the gates of the city were
guarded, to prevent the removal of any property. The
walls were also watched, to defeat the many plans of
deception that were devised to smuggle away the
plunder. Sometimes a coffin was borne through the
gates with a train of loudly-bewailing mourners, who
were allowed to pass. The funerals soon became so
frequent, that at last a coffin was opened, and instead
of the corpse, a quantity of silk was discovered within.
Some of these plunderers were shot dead on attempt-
ing to force their way past the sentries. The shop-
CHINESE KIDNAPPERS SUFFERINGS OF BRITISH. 267
keepers who remained soon resumed their customary
vocations, and their commodities met with a rapid sale.
Provisions were everywhere in request by the English,
which the native traders were eager to supply as a
source of profit. Matters proceeded for some time in
this smooth and easy course, when at length the Chi-
nese rulers issued their threatening edicts against those
individuals who supplied the barbarians with provi-
sions. A Chinese purveyor was seized by kidnappers,
and, being taken to Chinhai, was severely punished for
his offence. Rewards were afterwards offered for the
capture of Englishmen, and a few cases of kidnapping
and mutilation followed. Three Chinese were appre-
hended and sentenced to be hanged for an attempt of
this kind. During the previous night, one of them,
whilst endeavouring to escape, was shot by the sentry
on duty. The two others were led forth to be sus-
pended from the same branch of a tree, and after
repeated bowings to a crowd of spectators, Chinese
and British, were thrown off by one of their own
countrymen and fellow-prisoners, on whom the task
was imposed.
The intrigues of the Mandarins, and the terrors of
the people, soon produced a scarcity of provisions,
which may be considered as the primary cause of the
subsequent ravages of disease among the troops. The
dire menaces of the Mandarins against those who fur-
nished supplies to the British, produced such a panic
in the minds of the Chinese inhabitants, that Tinghai
became, in a short time, deserted by the people, and
the necessaries of life were with difficulty obtained.
The people also, in the villages around, became so
emboldened by the forbearance of the British, that
268 ARMISTICE AND CESSION OF CHUSAN.
every straggler from the foraging parties was seized,
and the most trifling articles of food had to be
guarded and convoyed by an armed force. Mean-
while the troops, encamped on a marshy swamp, amid
the intense heat of summer, were suffering from the
combined effects of sickness and bad provisions.
Fever and dysentery spread fearful havoc among
them. The removal from tents into comfortable
quarters in the city proved but a slight alleviation of
the evil. The severity of their sufferings, added to
the frequent attacks of the peasantry, might naturally
have been expected to try the patience of the mili-
tary. There is, however, every reason for believing
that the general forbearance of the troops was in the
highest degree creditable under these circumstances
of provocation. Notwithstanding these adverse cir-
cumstances, some desultory attempts were made to
organize a native police throughout the island, and to
form a system of internal government.
At this juncture the tidings arrived of pacific over-
tures, and the conclusion of a truce with the Chinese
Government. After a series of diplomatic negotia-
tions, during which Chinese duplicity had full scope
for its exercise, a treaty was concluded between the
representatives of the Chinese and British Govern-
ments. The prisoners on either side were to be libe-
rated ; the island was to be evacuated ; and, in accord-
ance with these stipulations, on Feb. 23d, 1841, Chusan
was restored to the Chinese. The British expedition
was soon on its way to the southward ; and thus an
ill-timed dependence on the promises and fair speeches
of E-le-poo averted for a time the impending blow,
and served to defer the day of plenary retribution.
RECAPTURE OF CHUSAN. 269
The result showed that neither party was satisfied
with the terms of the peace ; and E-le-poo had soon to
bear the weight of imperial displeasure, in distant
exile from the flowery land. Subsequent events
proved the insincerity of the Chinese, and the note of
warlike preparation was again sounded. The arrival
of the new plenipotentiary, Sir H. Pottinger, brought
energy and firmness into the scene of operation ; and
soon an expedition was a second time on its way from
Hong Kong. Amoy speedily fell before the assembled
forces, naval and military. Ningpo was situated next
in the contemplated order of advance towards the im-
perial capital. Chusan lay in the route, and again
became an object of attack. During the interval
since its evacuation, its defences had been strength-
ened, and a long line of mud-fortifications had been
thrown up along the beach. The resistance, though
more determined on the part of the Chinese than on
the former assault, was equally ineffectual. On the
west of the harbour a strong body of troops landed,
and pursued the routed bodies of Chinese over the
hills toward the city. On the east the cannonade of
the British soon silenced every Chinese gun, and
emptied the Pagoda Hill fort of its defenders. The
bravery of many individuals was conspicuous; but the
British bore every thing before them, and a second
time Tinghai fell into the hands of a foreign invader.
A body of the troops was detached to scour the island
in all directions; and before the expedition left,
Chusan was placed under military government, and
garrisoned by a body of 400 men. Thus, after a lapse
of less than eight months, on Oct. the 1st, 1841, the
island again became subject to British law. The
270 RAPID SUCCESSES OF BRITISH EXPEDITION.
inhabitants were made acquainted with the fact of its
probable retention for many years under British
power, till the whole of the demands of Britain should
be not only acceded to, but also carried into effect.
Proclamations were issued, promising protection to
the peaceable, and denouncing punishment against the
disorderly. The people were induced to resume
their customary trades, by the assurances of a just and
fostering Government. From that time to the present,
affairs have gradually assumed a peaceful aspect, and
the population have become reconciled to, and even
contented with, their foreign rulers. The subsequent
events of the war ceased to affect their condition.
The capture of Chinhai at the distance of thirty miles
on the mainland, the occupation of Ningpo, the re-
duction of Chapoo, were a rapid succession of defeats,
thoroughly humbling to the arrogance of the native
rulers. The fall of Shanghai, the dreadful storming of
Chinkeang, and, lastly, the approach of the expedition
under the very walls of Nanking, with a numerous
fleet of ships of war, which, by the skill of the survey-
ing departments of the force, had overcome all the
formidable difficulties of navigating the Yang-tze-
keang, the key to the whole empire, proved to a de-
monstration the power and superiority of those
foreigners, whom they had hitherto affected to de-
spise. On August 29, 1842, the treaty of Nanking
was signed, and the retention of Chusan formed a
part of the stipulations, until the payment of the last
instalment of the indemnity, which was to take place
in the early part of 1846. The dreadful ravages of
disease, by which so many of our troops were brought
to the grave on the first occupation of the island
RETENTION OF CHUSAN. 271
in 1840, were soon proved to be the result, not of
local insalubrity, but of unparalleled privations. For
four years, since its second capture, Chusan has
been found a healthy and agreeable residence ; and
many are now able to acknowledge, with gratitude to
the Almighty, the invigorating influence of its climate,
after a change from the insalubrity of Hong Kong.
The influence, for good or for evil, which British
occupation exerts, involves a responsibility of the most
serious kind. The consideration of this subject will
naturally awaken anxious reflections in the minds of
those Christian patriots, who view even the greatness
and glory of their native land, and the wide extension
of the British empire, as events important indeed, but
secondary to the interests of the Redeemer's king-
dom, and the proclamation of that message of mercy,
which everywhere breathes the spirit of its Heavenly
Author, Peace on earth and good-will towards men. The
probable effects of British tenure of this important
island on the social and moral state of the population,
and indirectly on the destinies of the Chinese empire,
might have furnished an interesting subject for conjec-
ture. The extent, however, to which such hopes have
been realised, is a matter more easy for investigation.
It would have argued no very sanguine temperament,
to have hailed the temporary annexation of Chusan to
the empire of Britain as a rare and precious opportu-
nity for an exhibition of the arts and civilization of
the west of the mild but incorruptible majesty of
British law of the sublime morality and benevolence
of the Christian character and of the fostering influ-
ence diffused by British government on the commerce,
the liberties, and the happiness of the governed. A
272 MINGLED INFLUENCE OF BRITISH OCCUPATION.
more intimate knowledge, however, of human affairs,
and of the general tendency of British colonization,
would perhaps have moderated excessive expectations
of this kind. The actual condition of the people, and
the feelings cherished by them towards the foreigners,
may afford an insight into the real effects of British
connexion. The absence of all taxation, the large
amount of gain acquired by the tradesmen, and the
well-known and acknowledged fact of the impartial
administration of justice equally to rich and poor,
have undoubtedly attached considerable numbers of
the people to the British. But the dark side of the
picture must be viewed before we hastily gather the
self-complacent inference, that we have here reared
a permanent monument of our superiority to the old
Chinese regime in their eyes. Frequent deeds of vio-
lence on the part of the soldiery, numerous scenes of
intoxication from the maddening draughts of samshoo,
a general disregard of the feelings of the Chinese, and
continual outbreaks of a proud overbearing spirit on
the vanquished race, required something more of an
opposite character, to counteract their natural effect on
the native mind, than the mere spectacle of the power,
the arts, and the wealth of the new-comers. Accord-
ingly, we find that the popularity of the British is
limited to those, on whom self-interest and lucre have
operated as a bribe. The lower classes exhibit no
decided indications of hostility. The better classes,
however, who had rank and consequence to lose, are
naturally dissatisfied with the present state of things.
Sighing in secret for the period when they will be
able to resume their former position in society, they
maintain a cautious reserve of their opinions on all
DISAFFECTION TO THE BRITISH. 273
subjects of comparison between the two Governments.
Before the American residents they are less reserved,
and speak in terms of exultation of the approaching
evacuation of Chusan, and the restoration of Chinese
rule. The boatmen, coolies, and servants regard
the departure of the British as a cessation of their
high wages. The shopkeepers also, who have gained
money from the foreign residents, are naturally
sincere in their regret at the departure of the Bri-
tish troops. As the Mandarins will probably prac-
tise extortions on those who have acquired wealth
from the British, it is expected that many of this class
will, on the cession of Chusan, migrate for a season to
the cities on the continent, and thus contrive to escape
their rapacious avarice.
The administration of police under the British
has been generally marked by a spirit of moderation
and mildness ; though some of the British police-
officers, ignorant of the distinctions of Chinese rank,
have generally treated the gentry and mob equally
alike. On the occasion of a trivial matter of com-
plaint, a literary Chinese was tied by the queue
to a fellow-prisoner, and dragged unceremoni-
ously, through the gazing throngs of his country-
men, to the residence of the British magistrate,
who promptly dismissed the case. Their liabi-
lity to such acts of degradation have combined, with
fear of the British, in banishing the wealthiest native
gentry from the island. The native police, em-
ployed by the British magistrate, are suspected
of being also in the secret employ of the Chinese
Government as spies on the proceedings of foreign-
ers. They are taken from the worst classes of
274 BRITISH ADMINISTRATION OF POLICE.
the Chinese population, but do their work well,
and have been found faithful to their present
employers. Many of them have themselves been
thieves ; and their acquaintance with the haunts and
plans of their former companions in theft has afforded
advantages in the apprehension of offenders. Some-
times they affect to be afraid of the vengeance of the
thieves on the departure of the British. The petty acts
of trickery, current in Chinese courts of law, have
been sometimes resorted to in the most unblushing
manner by criminals. It was, at first, no uncommon
occurrence for the accused to attempt in open court
to bribe the police, the interpreter, or the magistrate,
the people having been accustomed to a system, in
which money usually carried the day. One wealthy
native merchant, who was apprehended with some
stolen articles on his person, pleaded that he was not
the thief, and offered to Bring the actual thief, who
subsequently came and confessed the deed. The
latter was sentenced, amongst other punishments of a
severer kind, to lose his queue. This degradation was
so unexpected that he earnestly begged for exemption
from this part of the sentence, and brought witnesses
to prove that the merchant, who had now made good
his escape, had bribed him by the sum of a hundred
dollars to plead guilty of the crime, and to be his
substitute in suffering the punishment. This vicarious
punishment in consideration of pecuniary remunera-
tion is frequently connived at and tolerated by the
Chinese rulers ; but it could not be recognised oy a
British magistrate, and the poor dupe had to suffer
the full penalty for his avarice and deceit.
The foreign trade of Chusan has been almost a
FOREIGN TRADE. 275
nullity, being confined to a few ships touching on their
way to the other ports. The only vessels in the har-
bour are an occasional ship of war, and three or four
opium-ships, stationed there as receiving vessels.
These afford the principal attractions to the Chinese
merchants, to the exclusion of more regular com-
merce. The fumes of opium, which at all times are
wafted on the breeze and infect the whole atmosphere
around, together with the numerous native smuggling
craft which beset the sides of the opium-vessels, are
some indication of the extent of this branch of traffic.
Native smuggling vessels from Taichew, Chinhai,
Ningpo, and Chapoo, constantly convey back the drug
by stealth to the mainland, and reap a rich amount of
gain from their boldness. The monthly sale of opium
in the harbour of Chusan averages from 225 to 230
chests. The Chinese officers at Ningpo are said to
connive at the introduction of the article on payment
of 5 per cent, ad valorem duty ; i. e. from 25 to 50
dollars per chest. This is a fact of open notoriety
among the Chinese at Ningpo and Chusan. The
whole sum is supposed to be swallowed up among the
venal agents of the customs. The only general trade
with foreigners has consisted of a few cargoes of cam-
phor and alum. Nothing, however, of any extent
or importance has been transacted, in the absence of
the former capital and wealth of the island.
The presence of foreigners will probably stamp a
permanent character on the tastes and wants of the
people of Chusan. Trifling articles of European manu-
facture have found their way into Chusan, and given a
new impulse to native skill. And thus the people will
be at least half a century in advance of their country-
T2
276 EFFECTS OF BRITISH TENURE.
men. Old prejudices have been sapped and under-
mined ; so that amid all the faults and abuses of our
trust, the permanent benefits conferred by our tem-
porary jurisdiction will, on the whole, counterbalance
the moral evils. The spectacle of a Government supe-
rior to bribes and extortions has been exhibited to
their view. That moral power, which British truth
and integrity have acquired in India, more than all our
force of arms could alone effect, has here been esta-
blished in the native mind. It may have driven from
Chusan the rich and wealthy, who, disgusted with
our ignorance of Chinese customs, were offended
with the impartiality of our administration of law.
But when time shall have blunted the sense of private
wrongs, it is to be hoped that a rule, so just and
incorruptible in its character, in contrast with the
corruption of their own officers, will live in the
recollection, and exercise a salutary influence upon
the minds of all classes of the inhabitants.
At the present time a good understanding and a
friendly spirit of co-operation exists between the Bri-
tish authorities at Chusan and the Chinese Mandarins
at Ningpo, as far as it has been required in the mutual
surrender of criminals and fugitives. Complicated
cases of law are generally handed over to the che-
heen of Ningpo ; and in consideration of the speedy
resumption of Chusan by the Chinese, most matters
of legal dispute are referred to them for permanent
adjustment. By many persons it is believed that the
Chinese Government either have succeeded, during
the last four years, in secretly levying the land-tax in
Chusan, or intend, on their resumption of the island,
to levy the whole arrears of taxation. The British
MISSIONARY ASPECT. 277
authorities have, however, done all in their power to
throw the shield of their protecting influence around
the defenceless inhabitants. Proclamations have been
issued, bearing the signature of his Excellency the
Governor of Hong Kong, promising full indemnity
and protection in all cases of wrong inflicted here-
after on those connected with the British. Every
thing has been done, both by conciliation of the
native authorities and by protective measures on be-
half of the people, to facilitate the transition of
power.
One Protestant Missionary only, from the American
General Assembly's Board of Missions, is now sta-
tioned at Chusan, residing within the city, where he
intends to maintain his position, till summoned by the
Chinese to quit the island. The experiment which
he is thus about to make of the liberality and forbear-
ance of the Chinese, will be awaited with much inter-
est and anxiety. The expulsion of the East-India
Company's commercial agents more than a century
ago, after a year or two of supposed toleration in
Chusan, is a precedent which leads us to cherish only
a faint hope of any prolonged residence of foreigners
being permitted after the resumption of Chusan by
the Chinese.* As a sphere of Missionary exertion it
resembles the general character of Ningpo. The
dialect is the same, the character of the people is
similar, the salubrity is greater, and, under a Euro-
pean rule, the prospects of permanency for educa-
* Recent letters from China bring the intelligence that both the
Protestant Missionary and the Romish Padre have been compelled to
leave Chusan.
278 NATIVE PREFERENCE OF CHINESE RULE.
tional institutions would have been highly favourable.
A beautiful island, with a fine climate and a peaceable,
well-disposed population, under the paternal influence
of just government, would have been a promising and
inviting field for Missionary exertion. We leave the
lovely island of Chusan with regret ; but with adoring
submission to that unseen hand of Providence, which
directs every event to the purposes of the divine glory
and the welfare of mankind.
The absence of any marked feelings of regret on
the part of the inhabitants generally at their return to
Chinese rule, and the positive joy at the prospect
cherished by large numbers, are facts of interest at
the present juncture, and give birth to many reflec-
tions on the real nature of their own Government.
Although relieved from all taxation, and possessing
opportunities of gain without fear of extortion under
the British, they prefer their own Mandarins with all
their faults. The reason is plain, and extorts an en-
comium on their internal organization, which has been
reluctantly and tardily accorded to them. The Go-
vernment of China is probably the best pure despotism
that ever existed. There is an influence of public
opinion, a strong national feeling, which will survive
the downfal of the Manchow, as of former dynasties.
The petitions of the people of Ningpo and Amoy
after the late war, on behalf of their deposed
Mandarins, the prevalent desire of the people of Chu-
san to revert to their native rule, and the cohesion
of the nation for so long a period, prove that, amid
many anomalies and imperfections, their system of
government contains much that is essentially good ;
and that the people are ordinarily better ruled than
GENERAL CHARACTER OF CHINESE GOVERNMENT. 279
we should have thought possible in a nation destitute of
a free representative Government, and unenlightened
by the spirit of Christianity. Under a different state
of things, the people of Chusan would have hailed
the continuance of British rule as a deliverance from
the oppressive yoke of native rulers.
CHAPTER XIX.
SECOND VISIT TO SHANGHAI.
VOYAGE TO SHANGHAI COMPARATIVE VIEW OF THE TWO MIS-
SIONARY STATIONS OF SHANGHAI AND NINGPO A NEW SECT
*
OF MORALISTS IN THE INTERIOR OF CHINA AN ORIGINAL
WORK ON GEOGRAPHY, BY COMMISSIONER LIN CHINESE
SCHOOLMASTER AND SCHOLARS A CHINESE GRADUATE'S
REVERENCE OF THE WRITTEN CHARACTER A CONVICT SUF-
FERING BY DEPUTY MILITARY REVIEWS OFFENSIVE EPI-
THETS TO FOREIGNERS PROCESSION OF THE TAOU-TAI
RECENT SUPPLEMENT TO THE EDICT OF TOLERATION
VOYAGE TO CHUSAN.
ON the evening of October llth I embarked on board
a schooner, bound for Shanghai, and weighed anchor
on the following morning. The breeze, which was at
first moderate, began to freshen from the south, and
we soon passed through the islands to the westward of
Chusan. In a few hours we doubled the southern
headland of the island of Kin- tang, and sailed along
within sight of the city of Chinhai. From this point
our course lay northward to the Yang-tze-keang The
violence of the tides, as we crossed the bay of Chapoo,
was such as to render it necessary to make allowance
for the current by keeping the head of the vessel a
few points from the true course. By midnight we
were off Gutzlaff's island, and at day-break we en-
tered the river. There being no land in sight, the
VOYAGE TO SHANGHAI. 281
position of the vessel could only be ascertained by
soundings, which gave, for some time, only three fa-
thoms, and afterwards five fathoms. The bank of the
river soon appeared on our left, and the low flat island
of Tsung-ming lay at a distance on our right. With
the wind and tide in our favour, we rapidly sailed up
the narrow channel, and by ten A.M. came to anchor
at Woosung.
Here I hired a native boat to convey me to Shang-
hai ; but the strength of the breeze, which was con-
trary, together with the dashing of the water over
our little craft, soon convinced me of the imprac-
ticability of our reaching the city during the day. I
determined, therefore, on disembarking at the village
of Woosung. Here I procured a chair, in which I
proceeded across the country to Shanghai, leaving my
boy to bring up my luggage and bed in the boat by
the next morning. As usual, the bargain had to be
struck, which caused half an hour's earnest debating
with the peasants, before we could succeed in mode-
rating their exorbitant demands for bearing me. Be-
fore leaving the boat at Woosung, I had selected a few
books to distribute at the different hamlets on my
way to the city. Some of the loungers on the beach
at Woosung caught sight of them, and followed me
with their importunate requests. I gave away about
twenty copies amongst them ; but their eagerness
overcame their sense of propriety, and I had reason to
remember the long nails on their fingers, which had
been brought rather roughly in contact with my hand.
They afterwards surrounded my chair, and could with
difficulty only be restrained from helping themselves,
as I buttoned up my coat closely to the collar. I
282 GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF MISSIONARY ACTION.
passed over the same line of country as on a former
occasion, and arrived at Shanghai by sunset, thoroughly
drenched with the rain, which had descended in tor-
rents. Here I was soon comfortably lodged in the
house of my brother M'Clatchie.
A residence of three months in the city of Ningpo,
and also for nearly one month in the island of Chu-
san, since the period of my former visit to Shanghai,
enabled me to form, on the spot, a comparative esti-
mate of the peculiar advantages and facilities for the
work of Christian Missions, which they respectively
afford. It may not, perhaps, be deemed inopportune
to subjoin in this place, a statement of some of the
principles and reasons, which have influenced the
Church Missionary Society to select Shanghai and
Ningpo as their first Missionary Stations in China.
Viewing, in all its comprehensive bearings, the pro-
bable influence of a Mission in China on the prospects
of Christianity in the East endeavouring to estimate,
at their just value, the existing indications of a pro-
gressive movement in the native mind examining, in
the mirror of God's word, the present leadings of Pro-
vidence and tokens for good and, above all, assured
of the final overthrow of falsehood, and the victory of
Christian truth the Church Missionary Society have
felt that Missionary efforts for the conversion of the
Chinese ought to be taken in hand, in a spirit of faith
in some degree commensurate with the glorious object
in view, and on a magnitude of scale worthy the
Church to which they belong.
To concentrate and consolidate our Missionary work
on some definite field, which can be strongly occupied,
is obviously a preferable course to that of scattering
MISSIONARY ADVANTAGES OF SHANGHAI. 283
our divided and weakened forces over an extended
line of coast, among a diversity of dialects and native
character. To avoid one error, however, it is not
necessary to run into the opposite extreme of narrow-
ing our sphere of exertion, so as to limit all our
attention to one spot.
If we wish to select one of the newly-opened ports
of China, and make it the solitary advanced picquet in
invading these vast regions of error, the mind is per-
plexed in the choice between Shanghai and Ningpo.
The former promises to become the grand commercial
emporium of the north ; and, as a nucleus of foreign
intercourse, and, in a mercantile point of view, already
inferior to Canton alone, it offers the advantages of a
frequent communication with Europe, by vessels sail-
ing direct to Shanghai, without touching at Hong Kong.
The latter, as a quiet Missionary Station, exempt
from the usual deteriorating influence of a foreign
mercantile community, presents facilities of a different
kind. Ningpo approves itself to most persons as the
more desirable station, considered solely in reference
to Missionary work ; but seems to be too retired a spot
to be the solitary seat of a Mission. Time, expe-
rience, and the course of events, will alone show the
real superiority of each, separately considered. But
if both are occupied, and each place is thus made to
blend its peculiar advantages, they present one of the
most magnificent fields of Missionary enterprise, that
the Christian Church could desire.
On the one hand,
1. Shanghai is the port of Soo-chow, from which it is
distant about fifty miles the metropolis of classic lite-
rature, of taste, and of fashion the Oxford of China a
284 SUMMARY VIEW OF SHANGHAI.
centre of influence, whence the rays of native philoso-
phy are dispersed over the millions of educated Chinese.
2. Looking beyond the events of the present time,
and contemplating the possible extension of foreign
intercourse with the interior, we regard Shanghai also
as the key to Nanking, the old capital of the Empire,
and distant only about 200 miles.
3. Again, it commands the entrance of the Yang-
tze-keang, forming, by its junction with the Grand
Canal, the vast central artery of wealth and com-
merce, which supplies life and warmth to the most
distant extremities of the empire.
4. Occupying a central position, midway on a line
of coast running nearly 2000 miles from north to
south, of all the free ports it approaches nearest to
the present capital, Peking. It lies within fifty miles
of the 32d degree of north latitude, beyond which
British vessels are prohibited, by treaty, from sailing
within a distance of 150 miles from the coast.
5. If the presence of foreign influence be deemed a
valuable adjunct to its other advantages, Shanghai (as
.before intimated) already possesses an extent of com-
merce exceeding the united amount of all the other
free ports, exclusive of Canton ; and, as such, must
become an important rendezvous for native merchants
from the interior. The importance of this position
for disseminating the Gospel through the interior, by
means of a native agency hereafter, can scarcely be
over-rated.
6. Lastly, if we take a large view, and extend the
eye of faith over the boundless expanse unexplored
and unoccupied by Missionary labourers, we behold,
in either of these two stations, the bright spot from
MISSIONARY ADVANTAGES OF NINGPO. 285
which the light of truth might penetrate the darkness
brooding over Japan, the Loo-choo islands, and the
surrounding archipelago. To the south-east lie the
interesting group of the Loo-choo islands, within three
days' sail in either monsoon. To the north-east we
behold Japan, with its pagan millions, so long shut
out, by exclusive jealousy, from intercourse with
Christendom, within little more than three days' sail
with a favourable breeze.
On the other hand,
Ningpo, lying about a hundred miles to the south of
Shanghai, and enjoying many of its advantages in a
modified degree, possesses additional independent
facilities.
1. The population, from the limited extent of its
foreign commerce, is less exposed to the disquieting
contaminating influences on their simplicity.
2. The literary character and social refinement of
the people of Ningpo have acquired a celebrity
throughout the empire.
3. Ningpo is the usual point of access to the popu-
lous city of Hang-chow, which is the capital of the
province of Che-keang, and is inferior in importance
only to Soo-chow.
4. It has also an extensive native trade with the
interior.
5. Lastly, its situation on the mainland, opposite to
Chusan, invests it with an important character, under
a variety of future contingencies, of which it places us
in a position to avail ourselves. In the event of a
recurrence of hostilities, Chusan would probably, as
in the last war, be immediately occupied by British
troops ; and, once re-occupied, it requires no prophetic
286 COMPARATIVE VIEW OF BOTH STATIONS.
wisdom to predict its permanent retention, and its
probable substitution for Hong Kong, as the base of
British power. This would open Chusan to Missio-
nary efforts ; and Missionaries from Ningpo, speaking
the same dialect, would be ready at once to enter on
this fertile, salubrious, and populous island, without
destroying, but rather cementing, the compactness of
the two other stations.
At both places the climate is favo arable for
Europeans of ordinary physical strength ; the boun-
dary regulations permit a considerable extent of Mis-
sionary exertion ; the people are friendly and re-
spectful to foreigners ; the rulers evince no dispo-
sition to oppose the efforts of Missionaries ; and the
dialects of Shanghai and Ningpo, though dissimilar,
resemble each other more than at any other two of
the consular cities of China. Should unforeseen cir-
cumstances, therefore, lead to a change of scene of
Missionary labours from one place to the other, the
inconveniences under this head would be considerably
diminished.
Viewed, therefore, as combining in themselves the
several distinct advantages of salubrious climate,
eligible residence, and friendly disposition of the in-
habitants of direct communication with Europe
of comparatively quiet isolation from foreigners
of contiguity to the strongholds of native science
of local proximity to the second largest city in the
empire of importance in regard to Chusan of
central position in reference to the whole of China
and of future bearings of the most magnificent order
on the evangelization of the surrounding archipelago
the united Missionary Stations of Shanghai and
INCIPIENT DANGERS AT SHANGHAI. 2S7
Ningpo may, without hesitation, be asserted to present
one of the noblest and most promising fields in the East.
Their largeness of scope, and their central position
amid surrounding regions, where one unexpected event
of Providence may place millions of idolaters within
reach of Christian philanthropy, point out these two
cities as uniting in themselves facilities and advantages,
for which we may look in vain in any other two stations
on the coast of China, open to foreigners.
At the period of my second visit to Shanghai, the
Missionary services were conducted in the same
manner as on my former visit. The friendly dispo-
sition of the people towards foreigners remained
unabated, though sometimes exposed to the danger
of interruption from the conduct of the crews of the
European and American vessels in the river. Shang-
hai is a second Liverpool, in the extent of its com-
merce and in the various races of people attracted
thither by gain, who compose the lowest classes of its
population. Whole streets are tenanted by the men
of Fokeen the Irishmen of China men of ardent,
impetuous, and enterprising minds, but turbulent and
irascible withal. It is vain for foreigners to attempt
any overbearing conduct towards this spirited race.
A blow for a blow, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for
a tooth, is their maxim of daily life. The Chinese
generally, in these more northerly cities, would as
soon think of encountering a legion, as of attacking
individual foreigners, whose athletic powers of bodily
strength they are apt to overrate. But the men of the
Chinchew junks have already begun to break this spell
of terror. Some incipient symptoms may be already
traced of their increasing determination to resist the
288 A NEW SECT OF CHINESE MORALISTS.
aggression of foreigners. Two or three of the mer-
cantile residents, who flourished their sticks rather
incautiously over the heads of these junk-men, were
speedily disarmed and put to an ignominious flight.
This incautious demeanour towards the natives on
the part of the better class of foreigners, and the
occasional excesses of the foreign sailors temporarily
visiting the port, are the principal danger to Missio-
nary exertions at Shanghai, and the great obstacle to
the extension of our general intercourse with the
respectable Chinese in all the consular cities of
China. The foreign trade at Shanghai is rapidly in-
creasing. Fourteen vessels of large size were at this
time in port.
The following fact, which occurred during my stay,
may be mentioned as an instance of the importance of
Shanghai in regard to the interior of China.
One of the Missionaries was visited by a Chinese
merchant from the interior, a member of a new phi-
losophical sect, who had banded themselves together
to effect a reform in morals, and to correct the pride
and avarice of their countrymen. This merchant's
favourite scheme, after hearing the Missionary preach,
was the possibility of grafting Confucianism on Chris-
tianity, or Christianity on Confucianism, and combining
the excellence of both systems. He made many
inquiries about the nature of the Trinity, and whether
the Holy Ghost was not merely the intelligent soul of
the man Jesus. Many other similar questions showed
the bias of his thoughts, and the real sincerity of his
desire of knowledge. The greatest stumbling-block
to his mind seemed to be the exclusive claims of
Christianity to truth, and its condemnation of all other
RE-APPEARANCE OF COMMISSIONER LIN. 289
systems of morality and religion as resting on funda-
mental error.
The same Missionary was also engaged in a Chinese
publication, which possessed a considerable degree
of interest. A British merchant had liberally placed
a thousand dollars at his disposal, for incurring the
expense of re-editing a native work on geography,
which had lately made its appearance. This was the
production of no less a personage than the celebrated
Commissioner Lin. This functionary, who bore so
prominent a part in the early proceedings attending
the collision with Britain, had suddenly, re-appeared
on the political arena. Instead of being dead,"* as
report affirmed, he had regained the imperial favour,
and had been elevated to the high position of viceroy
of two of the interior provinces. The restoration of the
disgraced minister is some proof that the old anti-
European or conservative party at Peking still possess
a considerable influence in the imperial councils.
The geographical work alluded to was composed
during the period of his disgrace, and has been full of
interest to the Chinese literati. Though" it abounded
with many errors and mis-statements respecting
Western nations, it contained much that was cre-
ditable to the understanding and knowledge of its
author ; and, when pruned of its inaccuracies by the
English editor, will become a useful text-book to the
Chinese on the statistics of foreign lands.
During my stay at Shanghai I took frequent walks
through the city, in which I was generally accom-
panied by my friend M'Clatchie. On one occasion
we formed the acquaintance of a schoolmaster, whom
I afterwards re-visited, with a present of books for
u
290 A CHINESE SCHOOL.
himself and the more intelligent of his pupils. The
master and his assistant were sitting at different ends
of the school, each listening to the recitations of a
pupil. Each boy stood with his back turned on the
teacher, and, rocking from side to side, enunciated, with
breathless haste and in a' loud singing tone, some pas-
sage from the Ta Heoh. The teacher had a pen, with
which he inserted marks in the book, as the pupil
proceeded with his lesson. My entrance discomposed
the gravity of the boys, and was near producing the
exercise of a severe act of discipline on some of the
juniors. The boys, who were sitting at their desks,
screamed out their lessons at the top of their voices,
which is an essential part of study in a Chinese
school. The noise and uproar of a few boys at their
study is no slight disturbance to the unfortunate
Chinaman, who occupies the adjoining dwelling.
Each of the elder scholars took some tracts, with
the permission of the teacher, in order to carry
them home to their parents. The master was very
polite, and rather excessive in his acknowledgment
of the favour conferred on him by my visit. The
listless look and quiet manner of the seen-sang would
hardly prepare a visitor for that stern correction,
which Chinese teachers sometimes apply to the indo-
lence of youth. The strange posture of the pupil,
who turns his back on the master in order that he
may be unable to look over the book, is rather con-
trary to European ideas of propriety. It has given
rise to a characteristic phrase, pei shoo, literally " to
back a book," which has the general meaning " to
repeat memoriter," from this practice of boys turning
away their face from those who hear their repetitions.
SPECIMEN OF A NATIVE TEACHER. 291
The teacher of my friend M f Clatchie was an
extraordinary specimen of this class of seen-sang. He
had attained the literary rank of sew-tsai, and his
degree made him almost intolerably vain and con-
ceited. Keaou seen-sang was about sixty years of age,
retained much of the energy of youth, and seemed to
revel in a paradise of self-complacency, when we sat
to listen to his magniloquent intonations of the
classics. The impassioned gesture and literary
enthusiasm of Keaou would have led us to believe
that his mental enjoyment was very great, and the
ideas conveyed by the composition very sublime. But
on translating the immortal fragment, it was frequently
found to consist of some such sentiments as these :
" He who makes just agreements, can fulfil his pro-
mises ; he who behaves with reverence and propriety,
puts shame and disgrace to a distance ; he who loses
not the friendship of those whom he ought to treat
with kindness and respect, may be a master."
Notwithstanding his recent detection in an act of
petty meanness, almost amounting to dishonesty, in a
pecuniary transaction, and a severe reproof which he
lately received for attempting to excite prejudice in
a Budhist priest who visited my friend, by instilling
into his mind objections to the inelegant style of the
Chinese Scriptures, he still retained very lofty notions
of his dignity. Of this the following was an example.
While engaged in instructing his reverend pupil in
Chinese, he took an opportunity of explaining the
various gradations of rank, and the conventional
appellations of respect current in polite society. He
said, " It is usual to apply the term sze-foo, ' doctor,'
to learned scholars, like myself, distinguished in
u 2
292 RESPECT FOR THE WRITTEN CHARACTER.
literature. To an inferior gentleman, like yourself, a
literary student, it is usual to give the title laou-yay,
1 sir.' " He then concluded these conceited remarks
by the modest request, that my friend M'Clatchie
would issue an order to his servants always to address
Keaou by the title of sze-foo, or doctor.
On another occasion, his pupil was about to throw
away a piece of paper, which was inscribed with some
Chinese sentences. The old man affected great sur-
prise and indignation at the dishonour done to litera-
ture. After making some verbal remarks, he proceeded
to indite a little essay on the honour due to writing,
which he afterwards presented to his pupil, to prevent
future acts of the kind. A translation of this rare
document would have afforded more amusement than
instruction to the Western reader. It furnished a
true specimen of Chinese logic, and of that remarkable
stagnation of intellect, which their puerile course of
education tends to create and perpetuate. At the
same time, the fact indicated a respect for the written
character, the universal prevalence of which feeling
among the Chinese is of incalculable advantage in the
distribution of Christian books, and furnishes an en-
couraging hope, that these written messengers of truth
will meet no mutilation from the hands of the people.
In one of our excursions through the city, we passed
through the different portions of the extensive range
of buildings, which form the public offices of the che-
heen. As we were examining the judgment-seat,
and listening to the proffered explanations of the by-
standers, respecting a recent case of corporal punish-
ment with the bamboo, one of the convicts appeared
among them, bearing a large wooden collar, which
A RICH CONVICT SUFFERING BY DEPUTY. 293
was to be worn for four months. The culprit seemed
to be in very good spirits, though rather the worse in
appearance for his encumbrance, which projected two
feet in each direction from under his neck. On
further inquiry, it appeared that he was only the sub-
stitute for a richer man, who had been sentenced for
theft to wear the wooden collar for four months, but
had succeeded in buying the services of a poor man
as his deputy in undergoing the slow torture. One
month of the period of punishment had already
elapsed. The real convict was pursuing his usual
business in a distant part ; and in three months the
collar-bearer would be released, with a pecuniary
reward for his four months' captivity and disgrace.
Meanwhile, the dignity of Chinese law suffers in the
public estimation, and the humiliating fact is pro-
claimed from the august seat of justice, that money
has the power of atoning for crime, and purchasing
an exemption from personal punishment. Hence it
is no wonder that, among a people whose only plea-
sures are of a sensual kind, and under a Government,
in whose eye riches cover a multitude of sins, money
should have become the sole divinity enshrined in
every man's affections.
We sat for some time in a suite of rooms occupied
by policemen and jailors, a set of noisy, ill-looking
gamesters, whose vocation had not improved their
manner nor their physiognomy. We were permitted
to look through the bars into some of the prison-cells,
the inmates of which eagerly gathered around the
door, and appeared to be in very good spirits, if a
judgment might be formed from their animated con-
versation and light-hearted humour.
294 MILITARY REVIEWS.
Oct. 21st I went to see the military exercising
their musketry in a large open space near the lesser
southern gate. They advanced in companies, with
intervals of ten feet between each man; and, after
discharging their matchlocks, ran back a few yards to
re-load. Meanwhile another party advanced to the
same spot, and, after discharging their pieces, as
rapidly retreated. Their matchlocks were of most
clumsy contrivance and rude construction. There
was a larger kind of gun borne to the attack by two
men, one of whom supported it on his shoulder a few-
inches from the muzzle, and the other, supporting
the stock, took aim and discharged the piece. The
exhibition looked very much like child's play, and
seemed to be viewed as such by the assembled
mob.
On a subsequent occasion I had also an opportunity
of witnessing a sword-exercise at the same place, in
which various military evolutions were performed.
Their skill consisted chiefly in piling up their shields
in fantastical combination, so as to form a little wall
or testudo, behind which they sometimes retreated to
escape the darts of assailants. At another time, the
more advanced ranks threw themselves on the ground,
and covered themselves with their shields ; while
those in the rear passed over them, treading on the
shields in their advance. There was also a sham-
fight, in which the combatants raised a loud yell at
every blow which they dealt, in order to strike terror
into their adversaries. When the exhibition was at an
end, the subordinate officers approached a raised area,
at a little distance, to receive the harangue of a mili-
tary Mandarin who presided on the occasion.
OFFENSIVE EPITHET TO FOREIGNERS. 295
In a later part of the same day, as I was sitting to
rest myself in the shop of a tailor, who had lately
arrived with his partners from Ningpo, several Chinese
assembled outside, and began to converse with each
other about foreigners. One of the Chinese was a
tradesman, just arrived from Soo-chow. He asked me
if I was not one of the two Englishmen, who had lately
secretly visited Soo-chow. On my replying in the
negative, he entered into a long conversation with the
men of Ningpo, during which I heard him apply the
term, quei-tze, or " devil," to the Englishmen. I
interrupted him, and showed my strong disappro-
bation of such an insulting expression. The man
looked startled and ashamed, and soon watched his
opportunity of taking a sudden departure, when I
reminded him that a proclamation of the Mandarins
rendered such an expression a punishable offence.
The shopmen seemed very annoyed at the occur-
rence, and explained that he was no acquaintance of
theirs, but a mere casual visitor. They said, that he
was a bad man, " not understanding the principles of
decorum, and destitute of politeness." These were
the most galling epithets to which a Chinese ear
could listen ; and the man of Soo-chow had to hear
this reproof, before he could effect his exit.
Oct. 2&th As I was proceeding, in a chair, towards
the European factories, then in course of erection, the
taou-tai was borne along in state through the street.
My bearers quickly laid down my chair by the side of
the way close to the wall, and all business seemed for
a few minutes at a pause, as the great Mandarin
approached. First of all came a couple of men fan-
tastically dressed, and behind them, at the distance of
296 EXPLANATOEY EDICT OP RELIGIOUS TOLERATION.
a few yards, two executioners. Soon after, two men
bore those common implements of justice, the Chinese
bamboo, while two more bore immense thongs, or
whips of leather. The taou-tai then passed in his
chair of state, while the usual retinue of a few horse-
men brought up the rear. His appearance was that
of a grave, thoughtful old man, with long white beard
and moustachios. Whether my bearers took the liberty
of dropping me down in the street from curiosity, or
from conventional respect to their chief magistrate, I
could not be certain ; but was inclined to believe that
it was from the latter feeling, and that to have with-
held this customary homage would have exposed them
to the danger of correction.
Before leaving Shanghai I had an opportunity of
reading a translation of a public document, purporting
to be a proclamation of Pe-chang, viceroy of the
" Leang Keang," in which publicity was given to an
edict of Ke-ying, the Imperial Commissioner for
transacting negotiations with foreign nations. This
document was explanatory of the former edict of
universal religious toleration. In this second edict,
the latter functionary proceeded to define the term
teen choo keaou, " the religion of the Lord of Heaven,"
contained in his former edict respecting the toleration
of Christianity. The term was now restricted' to
" those who worshipped the Lord of Heaven, and
venerated the cross" paying respect to images, pictures,
and saints. The second edict proceeded to prohibit
ill-disposed persons from diffusing their religious
opinions, under the pretext of being comprised under
the term teen choo keaou, to prevent which dishonesty
the limitation of the term was professedly made.
VOYAGE TO CHUSAN. 297
Some of the expressions furnished ample internal
evidence of Popish, and probably French influence
having been employed with the Chinese authorities.
It will afterwards be seen in what way this unfair par-
tiality was rectified.
On Oct. 27th I bade farewell to my dear friends,
M'Clatchie, Bishop Boone, and the other Missionaries
at Shanghai, and embarked on board a British brig
for Chusan. We set sail the next morning, and pro-
ceeded about five miles down the river, till the unfa-
vourable tide compelled us to drop anchor. During
this delay I landed on the south bank of the river, in
order to distribute tracts, but found none of the
villagers able to read. I ascertained, however, that
there were some Roman Catholics, at the distance of
a le (one-third of a British mile), who were able to
read. After proceeding with a guide in that direction,
about half the distance, I was hastily summoned back
to the vessel, a favourable wind having sprung up in
the meantime. I left the books with my conductor to
take to the village, who promised to fulfil my request.
After anchoring for the night at the mouth of the
Woosung river, we sailed the next morning, with
wind and tide in our favour, down the Yang-tze-keang.
It was a beautiful day, and the voyage was ex-
tremely pleasant. A little before sun-set, however,
the vessel was suddenly laid almost on her beam-ends
by a white squall, which, coming on without the
slightest warning, and unattended with either rain or
clouds, so often dismasts vessels in these seas. Our
vessel was, for a few moments, in great confusion, and
we expected our masts to give way before the violence
of the squall. After a scene of considerable disorder,
298 ARRIVAL AT CHUSAN.
we were again enabled to run on in our course under
reduced sail. The captain, for a time, hesitated about
anchoring, at sun-set, under the Rugged Islands ; but
as the wind had moderated, and there was good
anchorage throughout the bay, through which our
course lay, he determined to sail on for a few hours
till we reached some of the islands further south. He
afterwards repented of his decision, the wind soon
increasing to a violent gale, which carried us at the
mercy of the elements, in the dark of night, with only
one sail set, at so rapid a rate as to endanger the
strength of the chain-cable if we ventured on casting
anchor. After two hours' great anxiety, as it was
conjectured that we were near some of the rocky
islands which lined the shore in all directions, at
nine P.M. the order was given to let go the anchor, on
which the vessel swung round, and, amid furious
tossings and drivings, rode out the storm in safety
during the night. A merciful Providence preserved
us from destruction, as we were borne towards a lee-
shore in a tremendous sea, all our lives being for the
time suspended on the weakest link which held us to
the anchorage.
The next morning revealed to us our position
amongst rocky islands on nearly every side. Soon
after day-break, the wind having moderated, we were
able to pursue our course through the narrow but
deep channel of the Blackwall passage ; and, after en-
countering baffling winds, anchored a little outside
Chusan harbour in the evening of October the 30th.
CHAPTER XX.
VISIT TO THE SACRED ISLAND OF POOTOO.
VOYAGE TO POOTOO VARIOUS LOCALITIES OF THE ISLAND
THE "PAH-KWA" THE "SEEN-SZE" THE "HOW-SZE"
ROMANTIC SCENERY HOSPITALITY OF THE ABBOT PRIEST
IMPORTUNING FOR GIFTS TO THE IDOLS COLLEGIATE
SYSTEM OF SUCCESSION TO TEMPLE-BENEFICES THE
" YING-SEW" PALPABLE DECAY OF BUDHISM FUNERAL
OF A PRIEST AVARICE AND IGNORANCE OF MONKS QUES-
TIONS OF PEOPLE VISIT TO THE SUMMIT OF " FUH TING
SHAN" A NEWLY-ARRIVED VOTARY GENERAL REVIEW OF
POOTOO, AND ITS INFLUENCE IN THE DIFFUSION OF BUDHISM.
AFTER a stay of a few days in the city of Tinghai, on
Nov. 5th I carried into execution the long-cherished
project of a visit to the Budhist priests in their sacred
island of Pootoo. I was accompanied by a native
servant and a crew of five Chinese, in a boat which
carried two sails, and was covered over at the top
by a semicircular arch of matting stretched on hoops.
This covering rose nearly five feet from the deck, so
that a person could move about in a stooping posture.
Within this part of the boat my bed and that of my
boy were stowed in separate corners, and a pot of
charcoal at the other end served to cook our provi-
sions. The wind and tide being unfavourable, we had
only proceeded three miles to the east of the harbour,
when we were obliged to anchor and wait for the
300 VOYAGE TO POOTOO.
change of tide. Here, within twenty yards of the
shore, our little vessel was moored, and my Chinese
companions laid themselves down to sleep. After
enveloping myself in furs, and patching up some old
sails to form a shelter from the wind at our cabin's
head, I soon contrived to follow their example. After
two or three hours, the noise from the neighbouring
junks, hauling up their anchors, roused me from my
slumbers, but not my sleepy crew ; whom I could with
difficulty induce to draw up the anchor, and propel
the boat by sculling, it being now slack-water.
We continued to stretch along the southern shore
of the island of Chusan, which was here lined with
villages of salt-makers, as the continuous heaps of
dirty deposit on the beach indicated. At length we
passed through the channel called the Sin-kea-mun,
on the northern side of which was a large village,
with one or two houses bearing the marks of English
design in their construction. Here there was a little
fleet of fishing-boats lying at anchor. The barren
sides and summits of the hills in this part would fail
to impress on a stranger the real fertility of the in-
terior of the island.
As we passed through the Sin-kea-mun, a junk of
piratical appearance excited the suspicions and fears
of our crew, who, after sailing a little distance outside,
returned within the passage, and anchored close to
some other vessels. Here they decided on remaining
till a change of tide, without pushing across the open
sea, a few miles, to Pootoo, now dimly descried by
starlight in the distance. We slept as well as the
roaring of the waves, the violence of the wind, and the
dashing of the surge permitted, till about midnight ;
SCENES ON ARRIVAL. 301
when we availed ourselves of the changing tide, and,
beating against the head- wind, succeeded, by means of
frequent tacking, in crossing the open channel to Poo-
too. Our course was rather tempestuous, and required
no little agility in clinging to the side of the boat, as we
rolled from side to side. At length, after two hours,
we arrived on the beach, and were saluted by the dis-
cordant cries of about a dozen boatmen making inqui-
ries. Various altercations arose during their endea-
vour to haul the boat ashore from her present awkward
and uncomfortable position, where every swell of the
waves dashed her up and down on the rocks. After
clearing my little apartment of some Chinese, who
wanted to sleep around me, and whose honesty I was
not disposed to trust, I got a little sleep before morn-
ing. I was awoke some time before day-light by the
bells and beating of wooden sound-boards, to which
the priests in an adjoining temple were timing their
idolatrous matins.
On disembarking from the boat, and walking a few
yards on the beach, I found that we had taken up our
position in a little bay, sheltered by some projecting
headlands of rock, on the south-eastern side of the
island. The first object which attracted my notice
was a retinue of coolies, bearing a number of bags of
rice to one of the temples, from some of the temple-
lands on the adjacent islands. The bags were in-
scribed, in large characters, with the name of the
monastery to which they belonged. Every now and
then a priest would approach the boat, and gaze on
us while we partook of our morning meal. The
whole vicinity bore marks of the indolent quietude,
which forms so predominant a characteristic of the
302 THE " PAH-KWA."
system of superstitious error, which here reigns in all
the power of ancient renown.
Soon afterwards I went in a chair to explore the
different localities of the island. I had first to pass
under a gorgeous arch, of apparently recent construc-
tion, with sacred emblems and Chinese inscriptions
painted on the boards of which it was composed.
Turning to the left, I ascended several flights of steps,
overhung by stately trees. I passed through a series
of minor temples, till at last I entered the principal
square, where several of the priests were observed,
some engaged in working, some in cooking, and others
in the idle effort to pass away their time. The build-
ings were in a dirty state, but the stone steps were in
tolerably good repair. The whole assemblage of
buildings was included under the name Pah-kwa.
Some of the lower class of priests stared, others
laughed, and a few examined my books ; but scarcely
one of the priests in this temple could read fluently
and witliout hesitation over each character.
After leaving this place, I ascended a hill which
extended along the eastern beach, with huge columns
of rock on the left, inscribed with sacred maxims.
I soon came to a kind of grotto, crossing the road on
the high ground ; from which, as I slowly descended
by a well-paved path, with a pretty avenue of shrubs
on either side, I gained a full view of the beautiful
range of temples, which, under the name of Seen-sse,
form the principal monastery in Pootoo. After passing
under a monumental stone arch, I turned to the left
through a fine open space, from which an elegant
bridge lay across a small lake, with its green floating
bosom of lotus-flowers. I advanced into the principal
THE " SEEN-SZE." 303
court, and found myself speedily surrounded by a
number of priests, some of whom were men of intelli-
gence and education. Here, on applying the usual
test of reading the title-page, I found comparatively
few persons who were unable to read the characters,
and consequently my supply of books was in great
request. During this process of distribution, a bell
was heard ringing a summons to a meal in a temple
at a short distance, on which my new acquaintances
suddenly scampered off, like hungry school-boys, in
the direction of the dining-hall. I was left alone
with a few of the workmen and other secular per-
sons, connected with the temples and permitted
to reside on the island. On going myself, shortly
afterwards, in the same direction, I approached the
hall as the priests, about thirty in number, were chant-
ing a grace to the idol, before partaking of food ; after
which the process of consumption began in right
good earnest, rice and broth being the only articles
which supplied their meal.
Leaving the Seen-sze, and defiling to the east, along
a row of shops, I passed, by a flight of ascending steps,
to the top of the next hill. I was carried over a series
of rugged precipices overhanging the sea, and re-
sounding with the billows dashing wildly beneath,
with all the bold sternness of the stormy ocean
stretching far away on the horizon. The wide expanse
of watery surface was occasionally dotted by a little
island, or well-nigh concealed rock, where the white
foam of the breaking waves alone pointed out to the
mariner the latent danger. After proceeding, by a
gradual descent, over a distance of another mile, be-
tween hedge-rows of woodbines and bushes, enclosing
304 THE " HOW-SZE."
scanty areas of cultivation on either side, I at last
passed through a little cluster of trees, from which I
emerged before an old dilapidated tower. This ruin
formed the entrance to the other principal monastery
of the island, named the How-sze. It was situated in a
natural amphitheatre of rugged rocks sheltering it on
the north, and was overhung by clumps of trees
dotted up the hill-side, the whole presenting a pleas-
ing object to the eye amid the surrounding wild. The
chilling blasts of winter had begun already to strip the
woods of their luxuriance, which was shown by the
naked state of the trees, and the withered appearance
of the branches. Here the priests volunteered many
acts of civility, and brought refreshments of tea and
sweetmeats, while I availed myself of their curiosity
in presenting tracts and portions of the New Testa-
ment to those who could read. One man, who seemed
to partake of the general curiosity, and to be in no
way destitute of an average degree of intelligence, I
discovered to be deaf and dumb. Some of the priests
appeared here to be a low vulgar class of men.
Though respectful to myself, they ventured on taking
a few liberties with my Chinese boy, who resented the
affront on his pride and dignity by angry looks, till at
last his ire was greatly excited by an old priest pre-
suming to touch his queue of hair behind. On my
being conducted to the apartments of the abbot of
this monastery, who shares with the abbot of the
*Seen-sze the jurisdiction of the island, the usual
scenes of such introductions recurred. The abbot
stated his name to be Yung-nang. A repast was set
out, of which I partook. My boy, who was smartly
attired, here took the liberty of passing himself off
A DECEASED PRIEST. 305
for a gentleman, and accepted the abbot's invitation,
with evident delight at his newly-estimated import-
ance. He continued eyeing me all the time, and was
half afraid of my mortifying his dignity by some dis-
covery of our real relative situations, while he coolly
took his seat at the table, and bowed gracefully to
every remark addressed to him by the abbot. A dirty
ill-looking priest begged importunately for money for
the idol, as I took my departure from the outer court.
On the way back I turned into a few lesser temples,
remarkable for nothing but their indolent priests and
dirty courts. The general appearance and useless
unprofitable lives of these bare-headed closely-shaven
monks, formed but a poor comment on the boasting
self-complacent inscription, which, in large characters,
on one of the neighbouring rocks, was intended to
impress the visitor with the sanctity of the place and
its priests Chung kwo yew shing jin, " The Central
Kingdom possesses holy men."
I afterwards turned aside from the broad path to
the left, by a little by-way leading from the Seen-sze,
which conducted us, close by a pretty stone pagoda
and a number of larger tombs, to a little temple,
overhanging the sea on the south-eastern extremity of
the island. Here I expected to find an old priest,
above seventy years of age, who was well qualified to
give information respecting the island, on which for
so long a period of life he had been a quiet inhabitant.
Instead of the intelligent old man, who had only a
fortnight before been found a useful and valuable
informant to a Missionary friend who then visited
Pootoo, I was only in time to gaze on the bare coffin
which inclosed his remains, and before which the
306 COLLEGIATE SYSTEM OF TEMPLE-BENEFICES.
lurid glare of sepulchral lamps was shedding a dim
and mournful lustre. The superstitious emblems of
death were strewed in profusion around that chamber
of the dead ; but the solemn realities of the eternal
world seemed in no way present to the minds of the
by-standers. One man was daubing a coat of varnish
on the exterior of the coffin. Two priests looked on
and indulged in their usual vein of light-minded fri-
volity, replying to my questions about the deceased
with the utmost indifference. He had died of old age
about five days before, having been preferred, by
seniority of standing, from the principal monastery,
the Seen-sze, to this little temple, which contained
two other priests, and of which he was the superior.
These lesser establishments are a kind of incumbency,
or college-preferment, to which the monks succeed, in
course, according to the seniority of their fellowship.
A new superior was about to arrive from the mother-
temple, to succeed the deceased. It was an affecting
spectacle to mingle with this exhibition of silver
paper-money, incense sticks, and funeral lamps, over
a corpse unillumined by the hope of the Gospel, and
uncheered by any other joy, in the last agony of
death, than that of virtual annihilation. After pro-
ceeding down the side of a hill, and over a few hun-
dred yards of sandy beach, I arrived at the boat, after
a trip altogether of seven miles.
Later in the day I ascended a hill close to the land-
ing place, in a northern direction, till I reached a
little temple called the Ying-sew, containing fifteen
priests, of kind manners, some of them being also
men of intelligent minds. On entering the first large
building, which contained the principal idols, I was
I
STATISTICAL FACTS EESPECTING BUDHISM. 307
soon surrounded by the usual number of priests, eager
to receive books. One middle-aged priest was sitting
at a table before the large images of the three Budhs,
with the apparatus of worship before him ; and, amid
the loud talking of some, and the boisterous laughter
of others, pursued his hurried repetitions of " O-me-to
fuh" beating time on a piece of hollow wood. Nothing
could move his equanimity, or disturb his devotion ;
and it was not till half-an-hour after, that he joined
our party in an adjoining court, where the priests had
been performing the rites of hospitality. One of
their number was a man from Fokeen, who spoke the
Mandarin dialect, and seemed to be a person of more
than ordinary education and ability. He was about
thirty-five years of age, thirty of which he had
spent in the temple as a priest. I observed that the
better order of priests were almost invariably those
who in childhood had been dedicated to the priest-
hood. The others were an inferior class of men,
generally with little education, and of doubtful cha-
racter. From this priest I received various particu-
lars of information respecting the island. After ex-
plaining the general statistics of the place, and the
different localities of the neighbourhood, he informed
me that the island of Pootoo had been ceded to the
Budhists, as an endowment for the diffusion of their
religion, by one of the Chinese emperors of the Han
dynasty. This date would make the origin of their
religious endowment contemporaneous with the ear-
liest centuries of the Christian era. In reply to my
inquiry, at what date Budhism was supposed to have
entered China, he expressed his inability to give me
the desired information, and seemed to think me
x 2
308 DIMINISHED ZEAL OF PEOPLE.
unreasonable in trying his antiquarian knowledge on
so obscure a matter. He said that Pootoo had seen
brighter days, and spoke with regret of the degeneracy
of the present age, in respect of zeal for idolatry.
He especially mentioned the fact of there having been
three hundred more priests on the island a century
ago ; and accounted for the diminution in their number
by the want of interest and devotion shown by the
people on the mainland, who suffered the temples,
one after another, to fall into ruin, without incurring
the expense of rebuilding them. The endowment of
the temple, in which he himself resided, arose from
200 mow of land, assigned to it as its revenue in the
opposite island of Chew-ko-tze. Besides this, they
enjoyed an uncertain revenue from the offerings of
casual devotees visiting the sacred locality. He did
not like to specify the average annual amount of these
offerings ; and, as there were several by-standers list-
ening, he appeared desirous of avoiding that subject.
He stated his opinion, that, out of every hundred
priests in Pootoo, only twenty were men of education ;
but that the greater number could decipher individual
characters, though unable to understand a book; a
distinction which ought always to be borne in mind in
estimating the real progress of education among the
Chinese. On my leaving, they followed me in a body
to the outer gate.
In the evening I took a short excursion to the top
of a hill overlooking the Seen-sze, where I met ten
priests going to a funeral on the beach. They in-
vited me to accompany them, and put several ques-
tions to me on our way. Among other similar inqui-
ries, showing the real current of their affections, amid
FUNERAL OF A PRIEST. 309
all the affected sanctity of the cloister, were the fol-
lowing : " How far is it to England ? How many
days' voyage is it to your country ? Does it possess
much silver ? Is it a rich country ? Has it any idols
or priests? May we go with you to England?" I
told them that they were welcome to go with me to
England, if they were willing to defray the expenses
of the voyage. On their learning the amount of the
passage-money, they seemed to abandon as hopeless
the idea of ever reaching a land, in which they appa-
rently thought that dollars might be picked up like
pebbles on the sea-shore.
On arriving at the beach, we were joined by some
other priests, whose arrival raised their number alto-
gether to twenty. Preparations were now made to
lift the coffin from the boat to the shore. This was
done amid much noise and levity, the boatmen scold-
ing each other, and the priests exchanging jokes and
loud laughter. The deceased was a priest of the
island, who had died at Ningpo in the course of his
excursions on the mainland, and had been brought
hither, a distance of seventy miles, for interment in the
sacred soil of Pootoo. His death occurred about a
week previously, and the process of corruption had
already commenced. After the coffin had been landed
and placed on some stools for support, the customary
preparations took place, and a procession was formed
by the priests, who advanced in couples. A dirge
was chanted, accompanied by the tinkling of a bell
and the beating of a sound-board. Three other
priests, who seemed to be related to the deceased,
placed incense-sticks, candles, and fruit on a table
before the coffin, and bowed to the ground, knocking
310 QUESTIONS OF THE PEOPLE.
their foreheads against the stones, before a small tablet
inscribed with the name of the deceased. After this,
a layman, who was said to be the adopted son of the
deceased, proceeded to bow, in adoration of the de-
parted spirit, with due form and solemnity. Imme-
diately after rising from these prostrations they ap-
proached me, and asked several questions with the
utmost unconcern. The priests were frequently talk-
ing, and even laughing, in the midst of their chant.
The lay-relative, who was not more than twenty years
of age, asked me if I could give him some opium-
medicine. He admitted that he was addicted to the
indulgence of smoking opium, and stated his inability
to abandon the habit, although he was desirous of
being freed from its power. One of the priests also
asked me for the same medicine, but denied that he
smoked opium, saying that he wanted it in order to
cure a friend of the habit. The funeral-procession
soon moved slowly off to the place of sepulture, about
a mile distance, amid a continued beating of gongs to
affright the evil spirits.
Two shopkeepers, attached to the Seen-sze, soon after-
wards joined me. They made several inquiries about
the books which I had distributed, and the object of
my visit to Pootoo. They asked if persons, who em-
braced the Christian religion, were permitted to eat
animal food and drink wine ; which questions were
naturally suggested by the abstinence from these par-
ticular articles of diet, professed by the Budhist
priests.
The next morning 1 proceeded to visit some remote
localities, situated at the northern and western extre-
mities of the island. After pursuing my way about
ASCENT OF " FUH TING SHAN." 311
three miles to the How-sze, I turned by a devious path
on the left, and ascended the steep acclivity known
by the name Fuh ting shan, " Budh's highest hill." In
some parts the ascent lay over steep flights of stone
steps, with which the hilly parts of the island abounded.
From the summit a fine view was gained of the sea
and the numerous surrounding islands ; and in order
to remind the stranger of the extensive dominion of
the deity, who ruled these realms of superstition, the
inscription stood forth from the projecting rock in
large and legible characters, Hai teenfuh kwo, " the sea
and the heaven are Budh's kingdom." After descend-
ing a little distance on the other side of the hill, amid
a small avenue of cedars and cypresses, I arrived at one
of the lesser temples of the island, containing twenty-
five priests. The name /|jj^ fuh, " Budh," met the eye
in every direction, with other inscriptions calculated
to impress the visitor with the sanctity and harmony
of these hermits in their retreat from the busy world.
At the entrance there sat the sleek smirking idol of
Budh, with the body gilded over, and blue tresses of
hair on his head. The priests were very illiterate
and ignorant, scarcely three of the whole number
being able to decipher a character. The place, also,
was overgrown with filth, and bore evident marks of
decay. The vacant stare and half-idiotic appearance
of these poor creatures produce^, a gloomy feeling,
which the fine view of the sea on the opposite side
of the island failed for some time to dissipate from my
mind.
Later in the day I went over some fields along the
western beach, in which several husbandmen were
pursuing their labour. My visit caused them some
312 A NEWLY-ARRIVED VOTARY.
little interruption, from the difficulty which they ex-
perienced in subduing the mad impetuosity of their
buffaloes, who seemed to be unaccustomed to barba-
rian features, and disposed to rush to an attack. I
returned by a circuitous route, passing through some
quadrangles of the Seen-sze on my way. Here I found
that the abbot, the principal authority in the island,
was absent at Ningpo. Some of the other priests
invited me to take some tea ; and on my entering a
large hall, I saw some of the books, which I distributed
on the preceding day, lying on the tables in different
parts of the room. As I sat among them, they showed
many acts of civility, and said that they would not
object to my coming to reside on the island ; in which
event I should receive good treatment from them.
Actual experience might hereafter prove these assu-
rances to have been insincere. I could, however, see
no reason at the time to doubt their sincerity. There
appears to be so little religious bigotry among the
Chinese, that there is reason for believing that the
feelings of self-interest, in the gain of a few dollars
from rent of lodgings, would, in the minds of the
priests, outweigh all considerations of fear for their
religion or zeal for their superstitions.
In the middle of the day I met a tradesman on the
beach, who had just landed from Tinghai. He was
dressed in his best clothes, and brought with him a
number of presents. He told me that he was come
on a pilgrimage to Pootoo, for the purpose of making
an offering to the idols. On my endeavouring to show
him the folly of worshipping lifeless objects, and ex-
horting him to worship the one true God, the Creator
of heaven and earth, he remained some time with me,
EETURN TO CHUSAN. 313
and promised to accept my invitation to visit me on
his return to Tinghai, at the house of my Missionary
friend, within the north gate of the city. He pleaded
the power of custom as his only inducement to the
practice of idolatry ; and seemed to be influenced
more by a feeling that it tended to good luck in his
trading business, than by any regard to the character
and objects of his devotions.
In the afternoon we set sail, with a fair wind and
favourable tide, and, after a rapid passage of three
hours and a half, arrived in the harbour of Chusan.
The scenes of curious interest, among which I had
been mingling, were calculated to awaken many con-
flicting emotions. The most careless mind, when
brought into such a vicinity of monastic brotherhoods
and temple endowments, and led to observe the marks
of design which pervaded these institutions, as a grand
and diversified machinery for the diffusion of Budh-
ism, could not fail to be struck with the mutual
affinities which exist between the various systems of
error, and to exclaim, " How faithful a counterpart
this of Popery ! " A more magnificent scheme could
hardly be conceived or devised for the external diffu-
sion of Budhism, and the maintenance of its hold over
the popular mind. The project is one worthy the Pro-
paganda of Rome in the most palmy days of her acti-
vity and priestcraft. At the present time above six
hundred priests reside on the island, in the leisure and
moderate affluence of an ample endowment. Three
hundred other mendicant friars and itinerant priests are
generally absent in the neighbouring provinces, sub-
sisting on the alms and offerings of the superstitious.
Bound by their vows to a life of celibacy, they are left
314 GENERAL VIEW OF POOTOO.
free from the cares of domestic life, to pursue, with-
out distraction, the work of proselytism. After a sea-
son of active exertion, they return to this isolated spot,
associated with all the ancient glories of Budhism.
Here they are permitted to refresh their weary bodies
and exhausted minds with the natural beauties of
scenery, the quiet solitude of contemplation, and a
deeper initiation in the mysteries of their order, ere
they pour forth anew their invigorated energies on
the millions of the Chinese empire. The prescription
of antiquity, and the devout liberality of ancient
monarchs, have done all they could to enhance the
external influence of the brotherhoods. The whole
island, which is about one hundred le (thirty miles) in
circumference, forms, together with the smaller adja-
cent islands, the territory of the principal abbot resid-
ing in the Seen-sze. This ecclesiastic divides a portion
of his authority with the superior of the other principal
monastery, the How-sze. Free from all payment of
revenue to the Imperial Government, Pootoo is left
under the sacred control of the principal Bonze. He
acts as governor in matters of an ordinary kind ; and
only in penal matters, which demand a more rigid
correction than the mild restraints of sacerdotal rule,
is a reference made to the chief magistrate of Tinghai.
The priests are chiefly from the neighbouring province
of Che-keang ; but a large number flock hither from
the more distant provinces of the Empire. In the Seen-
sze one hundred and fifty monks reside, and in the How-
sze about eighty. There are also seventy-two lesser
temples scattered over the island, with their resident
inmates, all of them occupying the most romantic
spots. The secularizing influence of female society is
PALPABLE DECAY OF BUDHISM. 315
not permitted to allure these devotees from their ab-
stractions. No women are permitted to dwell on this
consecrated soil. Three hundred individuals of secu-
lar callings, whose services are deemed necessary for
the tillage of the soil and the supply of the necessary
wants of the priests, are alone allowed to remain on
the island. But the privilege extends not to the dead :
only priests can be buried in Pootoo. No secular
bones are permitted to whiten on the sacred soil, or
to defile the sanctity of the place. Every thing, which
human foresight could devise, has been conferred on
Budhism, to enable it to make a gigantic and syste-
matic effort for the amelioration of mankind. It has
here enjoyed ample scope for the exercise of its influ-
ence : it has found a fair field for the development of
its inherent powers for good or evil. And yet, sup-
ported alike by the favour of the powerful and the
partialities of the multitude, Budhism has achieved no
results ; and seems destined ere long to fall, from
mere inherent decay, irrespectively of accelerating
causes from without. For a justification of this belief,
we look not only to the dilapidated state of their tem-
ples, and the illiterate character of their priests, but
also to the evident signs of contempt among the
people. To this ^nay be added the obvious marks of
scepticism among the priests themselves, in whose
deportment there is seldom to be seen any indication
of their own belief in the superstitions which they
practise. Some might be tempted, in the view of this
metropolis of Budhism, to give utterance to the wish,
that Christianity possessed such a vantage ground for
dealing its assault on the kingdom of darkness. In
such a wish we do not sympathize. Armed with the
316 TRUE GROUNDS OF MISSIONARY HOPE.
panoply of heaven, the evangelists of the pure gospel
of Christ must be content to go forth, like their Master,
trusting in the inherent power of His cause, rather
than in the machinery of man's contrivance. Assured
of the final subjugation of error, and of the triumph
of Christian truth, it is for them to sow, even amid
tears and discouragements, the good seed of His word,
looking to the dews of divine grace, and the life-dif-
fusing Sun of Righteousness, for an abundant harvest
of joy ; when, in the kingdom of their common Father,
" both he that soweth and he that reapeth shall rejoice
together."
CHAPTER XXI.
DEPARTURE FROM CHUSAN TO FOO-CHOW FOO.
CONCLUDING OCCURRENCES AT CHUSAN POLITICAL FEARS OF
THE CHINESE EXCURSION ACROSS THE ISLAND CASES
ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE ADVANTAGE OF MEDICAL MISSIONARY
EFFORTS VOYAGE TO FOO-CHOW ROMAN-CATHOLIC PILOTS
MOUTH OF THE RIVER MIN PICTURESQUE SCENERY
APPROACH TO THE CITY.
THE difficulty and delay experienced in obtaining a
passage down the coast to the city of Foo-chow, de-
tained me another month at Chusan, during which
time I remained under the hospitable roof of the only
other Protestant Missionary in the city of Tinghai.
On the Sabbath I continued to hold a service in the
joss-house near the barracks for the European troops,
a few of whom also availed themselves of our family-
service on Thursday evenings. During the first few
days, the quiet monotony of daily occurrences was a
little diversified by the general rejoicings and street
illuminations of the Chinese, on the occasion of the
birth-day of the emperor's mother. The approaching
evacuation of the island by the British had evidently
unsettled the minds of all the respectable classes of
Chinese ; and the effect of this feeling was frequently
observable in their fear of paying visits to my Ameri-
can friend, and their unwillingness to be seen reading
Christian books. Although the parents of the pupils
318 POLITICAL FEABS OF THE CHINESE.
had previously agreed to bind their children by arti-
cles of indenture for a term of years, to insure their
non-removal before the completion of their education,
they now evinced a reluctance to comply with the
condition, and to affix their signatures to the writing.
They disavowed any personal objection, but professed
to entertain an alarm, lest any connexion of this kind
with foreigners might draw on them the notice of the
Mandarins, and expose them to extortions on the de-
parture of the British. They therefore requested to
be permitted to wait till things were in a more settled
state. The edict of toleration, issued by Ke-ying,
was on such occasions shown to them, with which they
professed to be abundantly satisfied, saying, " There is
nothing foreign in this document : there is no possibi-
lity of mistaking it : it cannot be a forgery, for the
style is such as only a Chinese can have indited."
For a time they appeared satisfied ; but soon after
again betrayed their fears. At this period matters had
almost assumed the appearance of a general panic
among all who had money to lose. The merchants
and shopkeepers, who had acquired any gain by con-
nexion with the British, had every thing prepared for a
general and sudden emigration on the departure of
the troops. Some intended to remove to Shanghai,
and others to different parts of the mainland, till
the first storm of official cupidity and displeasure
had blown over, when they would watch their op-
portunity of returning. The edict of the British
Governor of Hong Kong had been affixed to the walls
of the public streets, inviting a disclosure of any future
cases of oppression on the return of the Chinese
Mandarins, and promising full protection to those
EXCURSION ACROSS THE ISLAND. 319
who should be punished for their connexion with the
British. The permanent retention of the island by
the British, and its occupation by the French, were,
in turn, the subject of report among the Chinese.
The rumoured diplomatic difficulties between the
British and Chinese plenipotentiaries, relative to the
entrance of foreigners within the city of Canton, served
also to increase the general excitement. Some of the
more patriotic Chinese even ventured to breathe into
American ears their suspicions of the integrity of the
British, whom they denounced as seeking an excuse
for breaking the treaty, and retaining possession of
Chusan.
On Nov. 14th I proceeded, in a chair, with a friend,
across the island to the beach on the northern shore.
We pursued our way through the north gate of the
city; soon after passing which, we turned a little to the
right, and ascended the hills through a long series of
wild mountainous paths. The narrow road was in-
tersected by the deep beds of torrents, and skirted
on either side by numerous rustic dwellings, with
little patches of vegetation surrounding them. We
at length reached the principal mountain-pass, from
which we had a fine view of a long fertile valley,
which extended before us to the sea. After passing
through several homesteads and hamlets, we at last
stopped an hour in a large village, at a druggist's
shop, who bade us welcome, and helped us to cook
our meal of rice, eggs, and tea. Meanwhile a num-
ber of villagers gathered around us, and the few
who could read received some books. Two miles
further on, we remained some time on the beach,
while the Chinese salt-makers explained to us the
320 VILLAGES OF CHUSAN.
process of successive evaporations by solar and
culinary heat, by which the sea-water is converted
into salt. Large shallow sheets of sea-water on the
sand, a few pits for filtering the briny fluid, and a
number of sheds with furnaces and flat brazen
vessels, formed the apparatus for the manufacture of
salt, which forms so important an article in the native
produce of Chusan. At this point several thousands
of acres of rich, alluvial, loamy soil stretched away to
the hills five miles distant. This fertile plain, bear-
ing its two or three crops of annual produce, would
be sufficient to supply ten times the amount of the
present population of the island. As we returned
to the city, we visited a distillery, the apparatus
of which, although more rude and less complex than
in Western nations, was capable of producing a spirit
of great strength and very intoxicating effects. In
one of the villages a Bonze was officiating among
a crowd at the idolatrous services usual at the full-
moon festival, the gongs and drums being audible
at a great distance. At the highest point of the
mountain-pass there was a little assemblage of idols
in a rude kind of temple. One of the images repre-
sented the goddess of mercy, in the usual attitude of
a male infant in her arms, which a European visitor
might easily have mistaken for an image of the Virgin
Mary.
During the latter part of my stay at Chusan, the
frequent wailings of funeral processions showed the
prevalence of sickness among the people. On one
occasion I was attracted to a house, in which two
priests of the Taou sect were endeavouring, by noises,
to drive away the evil spirits, and to procure, by a
IMPORTANCE OF MEDICAL MISSIONARY LABOURS. 321
feast set out before the idols, the recovery of a sick
woman in the family. On my entering, I was
speedily taken to her bedside, and was entreated to
prescribe some remedy for her disease. After re-
buking their folly in trying to effect her recovery by
such superstitious means, I gave her a temporary
remedy, till a day or two after, when I took her with
me to the house of an American physician, just arrived
in Chusan, and received his directions as to the mode
of treatment. This, being followed out for a few days,
was the means of completely restoring her,although she
had been given over by the native practitioners. Her
recovery was a subject of thankfulness to my mind, as
I was afraid that, in case of her death, the priests
might attribute the event to the anger of the offended
idols. The gratitude of the family was very great,
and the case procured me some reputation for
medical skill. I had several visitors, who followed
out my course of treatment, although I enforced a
rigid interdiction of the use of tobacco and samshoo
while they took my medicines. I had also, by these
means, an opportunity of distributing some tracts in a
few private families. These little occurrences served
to deepen in my mind a conviction of the importance
of medical Missionary efforts, when kept in their
subordinate place, as mere subsidiary means in pre-
paring the way for Christian evangelists in this heathen
land.
On Dec. 9, 1845, an opportunity presented itself of
my proceeding to Foo-chow, in a little schooner in
ballast, touching at Chusan on her way from Shang-
hai to that port. Embarking at nine A.M., I found
myself in another hour passing gradually out of sight
322 VOYAGE TO FOO-CHOW.
of this beautiful island, in which I had been permitted
to spend several weeks very happily, in the quiet
retirement of a Christian family. A steady breeze
and favourable tide bore our little craft steadily along ;
and the fair blue hills of Chusan were soon lost in the
dim distance. Passing beyond Ketow point, we at
length arrived at a little island, which had a hollow
cavern running through it, and hence derived its name
of " Buffalo's nose," from a fanciful resemblance to
that object. Between this and another small island
to the east we anchored for the night. On the fol-
lowing morning, the thick, rainy weather, increasing
to a dark mist, prevented our weighing anchor, and
we remained off the island the whole day. During
the succeeding night a little fleet of trading junks,
with two war-junks, anchored within a cable's length,
the two latter vessels being stationed one off each
bow of our schooner. This was the occasion of our
carronades and swivel-guns being loaded, and a sharp
look-out was kept on our new neighbours. All this,
however, was unnecessary, as, at the first dawn of day,
they quietly left the anchorage, and sailed in a body
to the south, keeping close to the shore. In the fore-
noon we weighed anchor, and, with a strong breeze
from the north-west, soon passed beyond the Kwesan
group of islands into the open sea. During the day
we sailed very fast ; and fearing lest, before the fol-
lowing day-break, we should over-run our course,
we shortened sail during the night, and on the
following morning drew in sight of land. During
several hours we passed between some islets and
the mainland, at one time sailing in smooth water,
and soon afterwards emerging into some bay of the
ROMAN-CATHOLIC PILOTS. 323
open sea, which indented the coast. The thick, cloudy
weather prevented us from ascertaining our position
by an observation of the sun, and no one on board was
able to recognise the coast. After sailing forty miles
between rugged, precipitous islands, we were com-
pelled, at sunset, to come suddenly to anchor in deep
water, under a small island, with but little shelter from
the violence of the wind, and with a lee-shore about
half-a-mile distant. After an uncomfortable night of
tossing and driving, the next morning we again pro-
ceeded on our course to the southward. A Ningpo
junk sailed by us as we were weighing anchor, and we
had hopes of finding our true course by following in
her track. We soon, however, lost sight of her, as she
sailed through some little passage close to the main-
land, where we were afraid to follow her. Steering
to the south-west between the shore and an irregular
range of islands lying ten miles outside, we suddenly
discovered our position in time to avoid running on
the reef at the mouth of the river Min, which lay
before us. We had suddenly to alter our course, and
to beat against the wind, which was blowing hard,
till we came to an anchorage under an island called
Ma-choo san. Here we rode at anchor for the night,
close to a little village of fishing-boats, which was
situated on a little sandy level point in a narrow bay
to the south of the island.
The next day, Sunday, Dec. 14th, two fishermen
came on board to volunteer their services as pilots, for
which they claimed a rather exorbitant reward. But
as they soon became more reasonable in their de-
mands, the bargain was struck for the sum of five
dollars, and they were duly installed at the helm. On
Y 2
324 INCONVENIENCE OF DIFFERENT DIALECTS.
their first coming on board, they crossed themselves
repeatedly on the forehead, cheeks, and breast, after
most approved Roman-Catholic fashion, which seemed
not a little to please our Malabar steward, and ap-
peared to be generally understood by our Indo-
Spanish crew of Manilla men. The inconvenience of
the different dialects soon began to show itself. The
Canton linguist, who could also speak the Mandarin
dialect, tried in vain to get a reply to his question,
rt How far is it to Foo-chow ?" But although for
nearly ten minutes the phraseology was varied in
every possible way, the parties were as far from under-
standing each other as at the commencement; and
the pilots, with a significant waving of the hand,
begged him to desist from the useless effort. Subse-
quently, however, they appeared to be more successful,
as, within half-an-hour afterwards, the linguist came
with a request from them to the captain for a glass
of spirits, which they drank off in a manner that indi-
cated a not unfrequent use of the beverage. Our
captain, not being quite confident of their skill or
trustworthiness as pilots, gave orders to keep casting
the lead, and sounding the depth of water. This our
new acquaintances appeared to take ill, waving their
hands as if to deprecate our distrust. They succeeded
in bringing us safely around the bank, which forms
the principal danger in the navigation of the entrance
to the river. Passing over the bar, we at last entered
the fine circular harbour, formed by the projecting
points of the mainland and two or three little islands.
The roadstead stretched before us seven or eight
miles, to the point where the river suddenly narrowed
itself into a little channel about half a mile across.
THE RIVER MIN. 325
Three opium-ships were stationed here outside the
consular boundaries of the port, with about fifty native
junks close by. Immense flocks of wild fowl were to
be seen in all directions. A few villages on the beach,
with some watch-towers on the sides of the hills, and
a number of bold mountain-cliffs rising sternly in all
their wild magnificence, and closing in the distant
prospect, formed a fine specimen of the rugged and
picturesque scenery, which is the general charac-
teristic of this iron-bound coast. We had not an-
chored long outside the narrow passage called Kin-pai
mun, before the usual assemblage of Chinese boats,
many of them containing a very depraved class of na-
tives, came alongside, as avarice or curiosity prompted
their owners.
The next morning, leaving the schooner, I pro-
ceeded in a European boat up the river about twenty
miles to the city of Foo-chow. After entering the
Kin-pai mun, we passed a large village named Kwan-
tow on the right, where there was a Mandarin-station,
with a custom-house establishment. The river at this
point was about a mile across, being hemmed in on all
sides by huge towering rocks, which were variegated
and gilded with the sun's rays, so as to present almost
every imaginable form, and glittered with the torrents
and cascades rushing down the precipices after the
recent rains. The combined influence of refraction
and reflection raised every distant object above the
horizon, and gave it a double appearance, the lower
part having an inverted form. A succession of vil-
lages and watch-towers extends on the right for several
miles, till the sides of the river, suddenly converging,
form another narrow pass called the Min-gan, witli
32f> ARRIVAL AT FOO-CHOW.
columns of rocks on either side, piled up to the height
of a thousand feet. Soon after, the river again widens,
and at the Pagoda Island, the usual anchorage for
vessels of large burden, divides into two streams.
The principal branch leads to the city, and the other
takes a southern course, rejoining the main branch of
the river Min, about seven miles above Foo-chow, so
as to inclose between the two channels a large island
of well-cultivated land. We sailed up the principal
channel, having the lofty range of the Koo-shan rising
3000 feet on our right. There were a few villages
below, and some little groves of pines on the opposite
shore. We arrived at last at the bar, situated at a
sudden bend of the river. At this point the larger
number of junks, and increasing signs of busy acti-
vity, indicated our approach to the provincial capital.
After half a mile's intricate winding course between
the native craft, we arrived in the densest part of the
river suburbs, and went ashore close to a large bridge,
which at this point crosses the river Min.
CHAPTER XXII.
DAILY OCCURRENCES AT FOO-CHOW.
NOVEL APPEARANCE OF RIVER-POPULATION THE BRIDGE OF
FOO-CHOW VIVID SCENES OF A CHINESE SUBURB. BRITISH
CONSULATE VIEW OF THE CITY FROM THE SUMMIT OF
"WOO-SHIH SHAN" STATE OF RELATIONS BETWEEN THE
BRITISH CONSUL AND THE LOCAL MANDARINS PUNISHMENT
OF SOME TARTARS FOR ASSAULT AN EXCURSION AROUND
THE CITY WALLS.
IHE friendly kindness of a newly-formed acquaintance
placed at my disposal, during my stay at Foo-chow,
the upper story of a small boarded house, overhang-
ing the river, and situated on a small island about a
furlong in length. In this lodging my mattress was
unfolded and spread after Oriental fashion, and I was
soon inducted into my new dormitory. After a night
of refreshing rest, the vociferating cries of my new
neighbours the boatmen, carrying on their busy voca-
tion on the water, effectually roused me at an early
hour ; and sallying forth on a little kind of gallery, I
had an opportunity of being a quiet spectator of the
motley groups below/ A large number of boats,
serving as family-residences to their humble owners,
lined each bank of the river for about a mile on either
side, the principal clusters being stationed around the
little island, which blocks up the main channel, and
divides it into two streams. Each boat was decked
328 THE BRIDGE OF FOO-CHOW.
out with a number of flower-pots and evergreens,
according to the taste or the means of the proprietor,
and presented a pleasing object from above. The
boatwomen wore a head-dress of artificial flowers, and
exhibited a neatness unusual in that class. The tops
of the boats and the roofs of the houses were covered
with a hoar frost, which lasted for several days, ice
being gathered on one or two mornings.
The celebrated bridge of Poo-chow connects the
little island with each bank of the river, and, pro-
bably from the substantial and durable materials of
which it is composed, is called the Wan-shoiv-keaou,
or " bridge often thousand ages." The larger -bridge
on the northern side consists of about forty arches,
which are merely immense slabs of granite, thrown
across at right angles with the piers. The lesser
bridge on the south consists of nine similar arches.
At high water vessels of small burden can pass up
the stream by lowering their masts. At low water a
cascade is formed from the higher part of the stream
into the lower level of the river on the other side.
The larger bridge is occupied by shops, and its nar-
row thoroughfare is generally crowded by all kinds of
busy wayfarers. Over this bridge I proceeded in a
chair, on my way to the residence of the British
Consul, between whose hospitable dwelling and my
little lodging on the island I divided the time of my
subsequent stay at Foo-chow. A long suburb, con-
sisting of a single street, and abounding with every
variety of trades and handicrafts, extended for more
than two miles from the bridge to the southern gate
of the city. Every part of it was thronged by the
same noisy crowds of people, in whom were to be
SCENES IN A CHINESE SUBURB. 329
observed more pugnacious looks, and more frequent
signs of intemperance, than are commonly seen in the
northern parts of China. The frequent jostlings and
blows from the chairbearers, inseparable from the
crowded state of Chinese streets, were generally borne
with their usual calm indifference. On a few occa-
sions, however, I experienced no slight interruption
from this cause, and my bearers were involved in
trouble, being unceremoniously apprehended, to com-
pensate the damage to various articles of domestic
use, which they broke or upset in their eagerness to
press forward. One literary gentleman, also, so far
forgot the precepts of his philosophy, as to follow us
for above a hundred yards, seizing every opportunity
of beating most unmercifully the head of one of the
bearers, who had brought the chair into contact with
his person. The looks of the people were cold and
forbidding, although their demeanour was not devoid
of external respect. There was no rude assembling
of a crowd, nor any noisy ejaculations at the presence
of a foreigner. Generally, also, there was an absence
of any troublesome outbreaks of curiosity. Our course
lay through this long street, which was a fair specimen
of Chinese streets in general. Here were to be seen
the artisans of the various branches of native industry
pursuing their busy work, and vending the products
of their labour, in one and the same room, which
served the triple object of workshop, warehouse, and
counter. Here were crowded together in their nar-
row dwellings, amid the din of forges and hammers,
little groups of wire-drawers, braziers, button-makers,
and smiths, with four men alternating their rapid
blows on the sounding anvil. Here again were to be
330 NATIVE ARTISANS.
seen image- makers, lamp-makers, carpenters, shoe-
makers, tailors, gold and silver leaf-beaters, umbrella-
makers, cotton-beaters, grocers, druggists, jade-stone
cutters, seal-engravers, and decorators, with the pro-
fessors of the numerous arts which supply the neces-
sities or luxuries of Chinese life. Further on were to
be seen picture-shops, hung out with the tawdry per-
formances of native artists, and caricatures of English
admirals, colonels, ladies, and steam-boats. At every
corner were to be seen portable kitchens steaming
away, and supplying to hungry expectants the savoury
materials of a hasty meal. For the more wealthy a
succession of cook-shops, wine-shops, and tea-shops,
lined the way. A little further on, a crowd of gam-
blers disputed a few square feet of ground with the
holders of orange-stands or the venders of sweetmeats.
Near to these were the well-stored shops of pawn-
brokers, or the decent exterior of shroff-bankers, with
bunches of copper cash, in elegant imitation-work,
hanging before the house as the emblem of their call-
ing. Soon again we passed the usual crowds of china-
shops, pipe-makers, grain-dealers, paper and tinfoil
manufacturers, weaving-looms, silk-dealers, trinket-
makers, and, lastly, a few book-shops, to indicate that,
amid the general eager activity to supply the wants of
the outward man, knowledge had its votaries, and the
mind could here receive its appropriate intellectual
food. Occasionally three or four Bonzes sauntered
by, whose listless looks betrayed their little participa-
tion in the busy cares of the world around them ;
and whose sanctimonious garb afforded no protection
from the rude jostling of the secular crowd. Now
and then a few gentlemen, or expectants of office,
THE BRITISH CONSULATE. 331
passed along, borne on the shoulders of their less
affluent countrymen. Lower down in the scale of
society might be seen, every half mile, some wretched
culprits, bearing the heavy wooden collar as a penalty
of the broken laws, blowing at the scanty charcoal
with which they sought to repel the pinching cold
from their extremities, or trying in vain to obtain the
denied slumber. Further onward again, the pos-
sessors of liberty were assembled in a public tea-
tavern, sitting over their beverage, to listen to an
itinerant, scholar, who expounded for hire one of the
ancient classics, or declaimed from his humble ros-
trum on some exciting subject of popular romance.
We soon entered the city, through the massive arch-
way of the southern gate, and proceeded, by a sudden
turn on the left, along the inner side of the city wall.
After pursuing our way for another mile, - over a
thinly-inhabited part of the city, we passed through a
fine avenue of trees. The British union was soon
after to be seen floating from a flag-staff on the over-
hanging rocks, which crown the summit of the Woo-
shih shan, or (< Black Stone hill." An ascent over
alternate pathways and terraces brought me at length
into full view of the romantic assemblage of pleasure
grounds and ancestral temples, which form the site of
the British Consulate. On this beautifully-wooded
retreat the largest temple was in course of prepara-
tion for an English residence, and was already par-
tially inhabited by the Consul and his lady. The
firmness of the late Consul, Mr. Lay, succeeded in
effecting a removal of his official residence from the
insalubrious vicinity of the river-suburb to its present
agreeable site. The Chinese authorities exerted their
332 CHINESE LIBERALITY.
influence with the priests of the principal temple, who,
for the consideration of a few hundred dollars as annual
rent, willingly abandoned theif- claims to the building.
With that loose attachment to their religion, which
is generally characteristic of the whole nation, the
priests beheld with complacency their benefice and
grounds changed into a foreign residence ; and the
abbot himself, in the character of head-gardener,
might be seen every day busily superintending the
requisite alterations and repairs. Although taking the
life of animals is a violation of a prominent article in
the Budhistic creed, my old friend the abbot (for
during my sta*y I had the pleasure of forming his
acquaintance) would at all times readily afford his
services in procuring for foreigners pheasants, geese,
ducks, and any kind of game. The liberality of
the Mandarins was perceptible in one of the con-
ditions which they, of their own accord, introduced
into their agreement with the building contractor ;
viz. that the masons and carpenters should never
perform any work on the Sabbath-day, nor in any
way interfere with the religious observances of the
English. In the same spirit the Mandarins, before
paying the Consul a visit, frequently sent to inquire
whether it was the Sabbath-day or not. The abbot
also of an adjoining Taouist temple, with a re-
markable absence of bigotry, for a small monthly
sum has willingly admitted one of the officers of the
Consulate as a tenant of a portion of the sacred
building.
From the top of Woo-shih shan, 500 feet above the
surrounding level, a fine view is gained of the city and
the adjacent country. As I sat on a corner of one of
VIEW FROM THE " WOO-SHIH SHAN." 333
the projecting rocks, with the huge masses of stone
lying around and aloft, the perennial monuments of
one of nature's most violent convulsions, the quiet
solitude of the spot where I lingered contrasted
strongly with the busy scenes below, and the animated
appearance of the adjacent country. At my feet lay
the populous city of Foo-chow, with its teeming
masses of living industry. At a little distance beyond,
the undulating plains, which surrounded the city,
retreated on either side, till they met a range of lofty
hills, rising from two to three thousand feet in
height. On the east, north, and west, at the distance
of five miles, a slightly broken country terminated in
some high precipitous ground, which formed a bold
amphitheatre around the northern half of the city. On
the south, a level country extended across the river,
nearly twenty miles, to another series of hills, which
closed in the prospect. The river, with its mean-
dering turbid waters, pursued its rapid course from
west to east, a depression in the outline of the distant
hills showing the direction in which the river divided
their range. The whole country around formed a
circular basin, with a diameter of about twenty
miles.
In the city itself the dingy expanse of houses and
streets was relieved by a hill, which rose abruptly at
the northern extremity, and was surmounted by a
conspicuous watch-tower. On the south-east, another
hill, rising from the level of the streets, and having its
sides covered with interspersed dwellings and temples,
rivalled in height the hill on which I was stationed.
Two pagodas intervened between the two hills in the
southern portion of the city. In other parts, high orna-
334 APPEARANCE OF THE CITY.
mented wooden poles, or the bright red colour of the
walls, denoted the various temples, or the residences
of the great Mandarins of the city. The devious
and irregular circuit of the city-walls, the strange
forms of the city watch-towers, the more regular ap-
pearance of the public granaries, and the verdant
foliage of trees peeping forth from amongst the
crowded streets, imparted some relief to the fatiguing
similarity of objects.
Such is Foo-chow, with its immense population, as
the exciting impressions of that moment fixed its
outline indelibly on my mind. The various sounds
ascending from below ; the trade-cries and tinkling of
bells from the crowded streets ; the beating of gongs,
drums, and cymbals from the precincts of the tem-
ples ; the noise of fireworks from the offerings of the
superstitious, mingling inharmoniously with the guns
announcing the exit of Mandarins from the city-gate ;
the confused scream of the buzzard-hawk careering
in its circling flight on high ; the flocks of minas,
crows, and magpies, fluttering on all sides ; the shouts
of men and the gambols of children, with the full tide
of population borne along in the busy channel of toil
and trade, stole on my ears, and convinced me of the
reality of the animated masses which were mingling
in the cares of life below. Only a few idle priests
from the adjoining temples, some wandering beggars,
some boys collecting fuel, or a few strangers who had
come hither to catch a bird's-eye view of the provincial
capital, disturbed the solitude of the spot, and helped
to awaken the mind from the silent reveries of the
moment.
It was no common trial, however, to my mind, as I
RELATIONS BETWEEN CONSUL AND MANDARINS. 335
gazed from the summit of this hill on the populous
city below, to reflect, that here above half a million
of immortal souls, spell-bound by idolatry or atheism,
in the capital of one of the largest provinces of the
Empire, the seat of a viceroy having two provinces
under his jurisdiction, should nevertheless be desti-
tute of a single Missionary labourer from Protestant
lands, and that no effort should yet have been made
to convey to them the inestimable blessings of the
Gospel. It was a comfort to remember, in such a
spot, that even China formed part of the purchased
inheritance of Christ, and that her pagan population
would hereafter become subjects of the kingdom of
God.
The next day I engaged a Chinese teacher, a native
of the place, able to speak both the local and the
Court dialects, who was to be employed in accom-
panying me on my strolls as an interpreter, and
in explaining any objects that might arrest my at-
tention.
At the time of my arrival at Foo-chow, the relations
which subsisted between the British Consul and the
local authorities had assumed a character of more
than ordinary interest. The late Mr. Lay, on his
arrival in the latter part of 1 844, to open the port,
had to encounter considerable obstacles in the unwill-
ingness of the Chinese authorities to grant him a
suitable residence, and the symptoms of a general
disposition to slight his office. As it has been already
intimated, persevering firmness and determined re-
monstrances had surmounted these temporary dif-
ficulties, and a growing spirit of liberality and respect
towards foreigners had been excited. The removal
336 PUNISHMENT OF SOME MANCHOW TARTARS.
of the Consulate into the city, and a frequent inter-
change of visits, had gradually produced a friendly
understanding with the Chinese authorities, which
was also happily promoted by the present Consul.
Repeated proclamations were issued, inculcating
respect towards foreign strangers, and denouncing
punishment against offenders. Things proceeded
favourably, till about three months previously to this
time, when a gentleman, attached to the Consulate as
interpreter, as he was walking on the city wall,
adjoining the quarter of the city inhabited by the
dominant race of Manchow Tartars, was assaulted by
a number of men, who pelted him with stones, and
chased him from the spot. This assault was "made a
subject of grave remonstrance with the authorities,
and the threat was held out by the Consul of the visit
of a ship-of-war, unless speedy reparation were made
by the summary punishment of the offenders. Copies
of his remonstrance were sent alike to the viceroy
and the Tartar general, the latter of whom possesses
exclusive jurisdiction over the Manchow part of the
population, who form the garrison of the city.
Although, at first, they treated it as a light matter,
and issued a proclamation, in which, with a strange
mildness of terms, they affected to speak angrily of
the " breach of good manners " committed on the
occasion of this assault on a stranger, the determined
protest of the Consul against the terms of the procla-
mation soon brought matters to a crisis. The Tartar
general, in the paroxysm of his alarm at the possible
consequences of a collision, arrested six Tartars for the
offence, three of whom were punished with the bamboo,
and the other three underwent the severe punishment
TRIP AROUND THE CITY WALLS. 337
of the cangue, or wooden collar, for a month. The
novel and unprecedented event of a Mahchow Tartar
wearing the cangue, from which mode of punish-
ment they had hitherto enjoyed a prescriptive immu-
nity ; and the humiliating announcement, attached as
usual to the wooden plank, of the crime for which
they were punished, and that, too, an assault com-
mitted on a new-comer and a stranger, were doubly
mortifying to the pride of this arrogant class of in-
habitants, as it was also a subject of invidious exul-
tation among the purely Chinese portion of the popu-
lation. During the few preceding weeks there had
arisen an evident improvement in the position of
foreign residents. During my stay, I had frequent
opportunities of testing the truth of this fact, and the
result of this experiment will be seen in the following
journal of daily occurrences.
Dec. 18th I was carried in a chair on the city
walls around their whole circuit, which formed al-
together a distance of eight or nine miles. Ascending
at a breach in the wall, close to the foot of the Woo-
shih shan, I proceeded in a westerly direction. A
little avenue, formed by the battlements on one side,
and a little row of trees close to the wall on the other,
skirted the lower part of the Woo-shih shan, with its
beautiful assemblage of shrubberies rising up the hill-
side. The wall itself varied in height, but generally
averaged thirty feet on the outer side. The causeway
on the top was of sufficient breadth in most places to
form a road for a single carriage, and was of regular
and even construction, although overgrown with grass
along the edges. As Foo-chow is a garrison city, with
a large provincial staff of civil and military Mandarins,
338 SUSPICION OF THE SENTRIES.
the walls are guarded with great strictness, and there
is a succession of watch-towers every two or three
hundred yards, with a few cannon resting on carriages
without wheels, and pointing outwards into the adja-
cent country. From the clumsiness of this contrivance
they are capable of being moved only a little way on
either side, and can only be brought to bear point
blank on any object or mark. Several of the sentries
came around me as I examined the contents of these
buildings, and betrayed some suspicion at seeing my
note-book. Some of them were rather loquacious ;
but their eloquence was employed in vain, as I could
only comprehend one of their questions whether
the cannon of my honourable country were made of
iron or brass. Some lofty and beautiful trees in the
fields, and a few ponds covered with the lotus-flower,
fringed the outer portion of the wall. On the inner
side some sheets of stagnant water, and a long range of
public granaries, stored with provisions against sea-
sons of dearth, filled up the space till we arrived
at a building, which had the appearance of a city gate,
but which proved to be the se-shwui-kwan, or " western
water-barrier." A long cannon here guarded a wind-
lass, which drew up or let down (as occasion might
require) the sliding board of a large water-course.
This was opened in order to carry off the drains and
sewers of the city, but was closed in the time of inun-
dations ; the water in the suburbs, on such occasions,
rising far above the level of the city. We next came to
the western gate of the city, which had a spacious colon-
nade supporting a watch-tower, and afforded a view of
the adjoining suburb. From this point, on the outer
side, a large sheet of water, called the se-woo, or " west-
THE "WESTERN LAKE." 339
ern lake," extended in a parallel course with the wall
for several furlongs. A slight rising of the ground
bounded it on the further side, where it had a temple
and a few small bridges. Some boats and fishing-nets
were also disposed at intervals over its surface.
On our arrival at the north gate, about a mile and
a half further on, the keeper followed me, eyeing my
note-book, and showing, amid all his acts of polite-
ness, evident signs of suspicion. The wall at this part
began to ascend the lofty hill on the extreme north,
which is included within the walls, and is surmounted
by a large watch-tower, forming one of the most pro-
minent objects to a visitor approaching the city. This
tower overlooked the city and the surrounding coun-
try, and had seven large stone furnaces, which served
as beacons in case of fire or the approach of an
enemy. Immediately outside the wall there was a
precipice, 200 feet in depth, covered with irregular
patches of trees. Beyond this rugged hill there were
no suburbs. The country was bare and bald, but
bore the marks of cultivation at a little distance out-
side. On the inner side there were some villas, in-
terspersed among gardens. Orchards of fruit-trees,
lichens, and banians, with some cedars rising above
coppices of dwarf-shrubs, pointed out the quiet retreat
which wealth here afforded to its proprietors from
the crowded parts of the city. Lower down the hill
as the wall bended towards the east, the houses and
dwellings were more isolated, and of a better kind.
We soon after arrived at a portion of the wall, which
bordered on the densely-inhabited parts of the city.
The gate called Tsing-low-mun, with its three lofty
stories, conducted us by a dark passage on the upper
z2
340 DISTRICT OF THE MANCHOW TARTARS.
story, through heaps of rubbish and a rope manufac-
tory, to the vicinity of the Manchow Tartar popula-
tion. Here the keeper followed me for some dis-
tance, and some Manchows passed, evidently subdued
by the recollection of recent events, and not at all
disposed to interrupt my progress. Passing another
large water-barrier, with its three Manchow keepers,
I arrived at last in the quarter of the city which, till a
recent period, none but the Tartar race were allowed
to frequent. The keepers gradually relaxed their
scowling looks, as I distributed a few tracts among
them, which they received with smiles, but soon re-
sumed their anxious disconcerted air. I determined
so far to humour their minds as to put out of sight my
memorandum-book, which they regarded with evident
dislike. Several Tartars now passed by, scowling in
spite of their efforts to appear unmoved, and hardly
daring to look towards me. Some few, with a fierce
air, would hurry by my chair, without even lifting
their eyes towards my person. I had declined the
offer of an attendant from the British Consulate, that
I might be better enabled, without the advantages of
official protection, to test the practicability of such an
excursion by foreigners. Frequent questions passed
between the keepers and my teacher, the latter ap-
pearing to be destitute of fear, and fully sensible of
foreign protection. A keeper ran on before to the
next gate, to report, with anxious looks, my approach,
and to prevent any ebullition of popular excitement.
I could not, therefore, be surprised at the crowd
assembled at the Tang-mun, or "Hot-bath Gate,"
where the gift of a few tracts, however, soon produced
polite bowings and a courteous reception from the
" HILL OF THE NINE GENII." 341
officer in charge. The parts of the city adjacent to
this gate, and to the Tung-mun^ or " East Gate," at
which we next arrived, were occupied exclusively by
Tartars, many of whom were practising archery at a
target in a military exercising-ground below, and who
desisted from their exercise in order to gain a view of
the unexpected visitor, as I passed. A Manchow
officer sent on three attendants to conduct me in
safety to the next gate. They could all speak the
Mandarin dialect, but, when speaking amongst them-
selves, employed the Manchow language, which
abounded with extraordinary intonations and inhar-
monious sounds. They were generally dressed in
military costume, with red caps and high boots,
although most of them united some trade with their
military calling. They had the appearance of being
a haughty and arrogant race, whom a slight provoca-
tion would excite. Nor were my Chinese bearers of
the light-spirited garrulous class of people, with whom
I mingled in the more northern parts. In a silent
and serious mood they trudged onward, willing to
meet every wish, but not enjoying a salient flow of
spirits. After passing some marshy ground, skirted
by a wretched class of habitations, we arrived at
another of the water-barrier gates, where the polite
bowing of the few remaining Tartars, whom I passed,
seemed to indicate a desire to efface the remembrance
of the recent assault on a foreigner ; although the re-
membrance of the cangue probably exerted some in-
fluence in prompting these civilities.
The Kew-sin shan, or " Hill of the Nine Genii," soon
after caused an ascent in the course of the city wall.
A number of buildings, projecting from little rocky
342 VICINITY OF THE SOUTH GATE.
eminences, extended along its side to the summit.
This hill shared, with the opposite hill of the Woo-
shih shan, the southern side of the city. It had nume-
rous inscriptions carved on its rocky columns, and
commanded a fine view of the river, in its course to-
wards the sea between the towering barrier of hills,
which wall in the cultivated valley on either side.
The Kwan-yin-meaou, or " Temple of the Goddess of
Mercy ;" the Pih-tah, or " White Pagoda," of seven
stories, with bushy shrubs issuing forth from crevices
on the top and around its sides ; and the Shih-tah, or
" Stone Pagoda," another half-dilapidated building of
seven stories, with its branching roofs rising one above
another, occupied the space between the foot of the
Kew-sin shan and the Nan~mun, or "South Gate." The
mercantile portion of the population are situated prin-
cipally in the vicinity of this gate, on account of its
proximity to the populous river-suburb of Nantai.
Proceeding half a mile further, I at length arrived at
the spot by which I had ascended the wall on my
outset, the whole circuit of the city having occupied
about three hours.
CHAPTER XXIII.
FURTHER INCIDENTS AT FOO-CHOW.
EXCURSIONS UP THE RIVER AND INTO THE REMOTE PARTS OF
THE CITY VISIT TO THE DISTRICT OF THE MANCHOW TAR-
TARS ANXIETY OF POLICE TO PREVENT A DISTURBANCE
GRADUAL FRIENDLINESS OF THE TARTAR SOLDIERS
THE "HOT-BATHS" PRESENT POSITION OF THE TARTARS
THROUGHOUT THE EMPIRE THE CONTINGENCY OF A GENE-
RAL REVOLUTION IN CHINA CONSIDERED LATITUDINARIAN-
ISM OF TAOUIST AND BUDHIST PRIESTS ROMAN CATHOLICS
MAHOMEDANS DETAILED OCCURRENCES OF THE NEW-
MOON FESTIVAL CULPRITS WEARING THE WOODEN COLLAR
WRETCHED CLASS OF BEGGARS SUBURB OF NANTAI FISH-
ING CORMORANTS CASE OF SUPERSTITION AND PRIESTCRAFT.
THE next few days were occupied in an excursion a
few miles up the river to another large bridge which
crosses the Min, in visiting the temples adjacent to
the Consulate hill, and in perambulating the different
streets of the city. On one of the latter excursions, I
proceeded from the south gate northward, into the heart
of the city, through the principal street, called the
Nan-mun-keae, or " South Gate Street." In this part
the people were remarkably well-behaved in imposing
restraints on their curiosity. Though they would
throng around any shop into which I entered, they
would always retreat on either side, so as to form a
passage for me on my coming out, without being
344 PRINCIPAL STREET OF THE CITY.
obtrusive or troublesome in their eagerness to watch
my proceedings. These little crowds seldom ex-
ceeded a hundred persons, and were very peaceable
and orderly in their deportment. As I walked along,
the outbreaks of their curiosity were generally con-
fined to an attentive survey of my dress and person.
The shops were of a superior kind, especially those in
which European articles were exposed for sale, watch-
makers occupying a few of them, and making a fair
display of clocks, time-pieces, and watches of native
and foreign manufacture. In this main street, and in
one of the principal cross streets, which led, by a
turning on the left, through the viceroy's palace-
yard, there were several curiosity shops, well supplied
with old bronze vases, images, jade-stone ornaments,
and carved wood, for which the owners generally
asked exorbitant prices. As I approached the central
parts of the city, the crowd, being here less familiar-
ized with foreign features, was more troublesome ; and
once or twice the sound of fan kow, "foreign dog,"
struck my ear. Once hearing this sound proceed
from a youth close to my side, I fixed my eye on him,
to intimate that I understood the phrase ; on which
he shrunk back into the crowd, sometimes summoning
up a laugh and repeating aloud the offensive expres-
sion, which he saw I fully appreciated. I made a
remark to my teacher concerning their liability to
punishment by the Mandarins for this rude conduct.
Unfortunately he mistook my meaning, a mistake
more justly chargeable on my limited vocabulary of
Chinese words than on his dulness of comprehension ;
and I soon had the mortification of finding myself
at the entrance of a police court, to which he was con-
CIVILITIES OF A POLICE-RUNNER. 345
ducting me to lodge a complaint before the magistrate.
As he was knocking at the door, and trying to open
the barred entrance, I fortunately discovered the mis-
take, so as to prevent his continuing the attempt. On
our coming out, the crowd, which was rapidly increas-
ing, raised a cheer, either of exultation at our appear-
ing to be baffled, or of approbation of my not persist-
ing in the complaint. I heard, however, no more of
the expression, the only epithet which saluted my
ear, during the rest of the walk, being fan yen,
'-' foreigner." After passing under an extensive public
building, which crossed the way, and exhibited aloft
the unusual spectacle of a large clock with a Euro-
pean dial, we were followed by an increasing crowd,
chiefly of boys, to the large suite of courts and tem-
ples forming the ching-wang-meaou. Here the voices
becoming louder, and the people somewhat more
boisterous, a police-runner attached himself to me
from one of the public offices. This new comer was
apparently very anxious to prevent my experiencing
any annoyance, and did not allow the crowds of boys
and idlers, who followed, to approach within twenty
yards. At length the latter, being tired of following,
gradually turned back and left their places to be sup-
plied by the idlers of the next street through which
we passed. From time to time he also offered me
oranges and betel-nut.
Our course now lay through a narrow defile of
lanes, abounding with refuse and nauseous odours,
towards the eastern quarter of the city, where I deter-
mined on paying a visit to the Manchow Tartars. On
my way the people evinced increasing signs of curio-
sity ; and when I entered a shop to rest, the policeman
346 THE MANCHOW TARTARS.
had to station himself at the door to prevent any
pressure, returning inside at intervals to offer me a
pipe of tobacco, or to perform some similar act of
civility. At last I entered the district of the Man-
chows, where none but the dominant race are per-
mitted to reside ; and to which, till recently, no Chi-
nese were bold enough even to pay a visit. Men,
women, and children, of every age and condition?
turned out to see me as I passed down their streets,
with looks which betokened mingled surprise and
dissatisfaction. They generally appeared to be of
more solid frame and higher stature than the inha-
bitants of pure Chinese descent. They all appeared
exceedingly anxious not to give any umbrage or
ground of offence. The elder portion of them kept
waving their hands, or using their lungs, to deter any
of the younger people from following our steps ; and
at one of the police-stations the officers made them
all turn back and desist from following. As we ap-
proached the entrance to the Tartar general's palace-
yard, my teacher and the police-guide wanted to take
a sudden turn down a narrow street on the right. I
persisted, however, in leading the way through this
extensive range of courts into the Manchow streets on
the opposite side of the palace. A Manchow officer
now joined our little party as an additional escort,
and accompanied us till our arrival at the east gate,
where we turned to the northward, and pursued our
way over the military exercising-ground inside the
wall. Here about fifty Manchows followed, who per-
formed various little acts of attention, and proceeded
to show me the curiosities of the neighbourhood. They
first took me to a hot spring, strongly impregnated
THE HOT BATHS. 347
with sulphur, the water of which I just tasted, but
which they prevented my drinking, saying that their
horses were brought thither to water. They next led
the way, in a small body, to the Tang-mun, or " Hot-
Bath Gate," through which they conducted me into a
little suburb, where the Manchow and Chinese inha-
bitants are mingled together. We soon arrived at the
public hot-baths, where, for a fee of two copper cash,
the inhabitants possess the privilege of an ablution in
these medicinal springs ; to which cause some persons
ascribe the fact of cutaneous diseases being less fre-
quently observable among the inhabitants of Foo-chow,
than of other Chinese cities. The first object which
I beheld, was about twenty men in a round circular
bath, of not more than six feet in diameter, all im-
mersed up to their chin in the steaming fluid, and
packed as closely as faggots. A shout of laughter,
unusual among the serious gloomy people of Foo-chow,
proceeded from these twenty heads, trunkless as far as
my eyes were concerned. Three or four men were
sitting on the edge, waiting till one of the twenty came
out of the bath, and made room for another person to
join the bathers. One or two others were anointing
their bodies with liniment or plaster, having appa-
rently used the bath to cure their sores. A little
further on there was another bath, with its twenty
Chinese similarly packed in a shallow well. A few per-
sons were drinking at another well under the same roof.
At a few yards' distance there was a well, partitioned
off to some distance, and guarded from bathers, where
the water was carried off in buckets, and persons
were only permitted to drink. The water was exceed-
ingly hot, even in a cup ; but had no medicinal taste.
348 PRESENT POSITION OF THE DOMINANT RACE.
In the meantime my new conductors grew very
friendly, and by degrees became even cheerful. They
asked me my honourable surname, and requested me
to write it on the sand. They afterwards wished to
know what office I filled, and the time of my arrival
at Foo-chow. The information supplied to them by
my teacher I was unable to understand ; but I had
reason to infer, from some circumstances which oc-
curred on a similar occasion, that, in spite of my
explanations to the contrary, he made many exagge-
rations and mis-statements respecting me, and sought
thereby to augment his own importance. The Man-
chows at Foo-chow have been estimated at about 3000
in number ; but according to their own accounts on
this occasion, they had no means of accurately ascer-
taining their precise numbers, which, however, they
computed as amounting, with women and children, to
about 8000. They have the character of being a tur-
bulent and haughty race, and sometimes occasion
much difficulty to the Chinese officers of Government,
from whose jurisdiction they are generally exempt,
and are subject only to officers of their own race.
They still retain the pride of conquest after the lapse
of two centuries ; and as they never amalgamate with
the Chinese, and are not very numerous throughout
the empire, a revolution is more than probable when
any general grievance shall arouse the spirit of the
nation, and a leader be found able and willing to head
a general revolt against their dynasty. The Tartar
yoke is said to be at times very galling and humi-
liating ; but the dominant race have wisely consented,
from the beginning, to share the Government with the
vanquished ; and the system of literary degrees theo-
CONTINGENCY OF A REVOLUTION IN CHINA. 349
retically opens the door of political preferment to all
persons without any distinction. The probable near-
ness or remoteness of the period of Chinese emancipa-
tion from Tartar rule is an enigma of difficult solu-
tion, and can form only a subject of doubtful conjec-
ture to foreigners, who possess little knowledge of the
political condition of China beyond a few general
impressions, founded on a very imperfect induction of
facts. The Emperor appears to share a large portion
of loyal attachment, as a good man and just ruler ;
and only a few of the Chinese, who are connected
with foreigners, ever dare to breathe the treasonable
language of dislike towards the existing Government.
Popular opinion is, however, powerful in China ; and
though there are no regular channels of manifesting
its power in the absence of a representative Govern-
ment, it cannot safely be outraged. A grand national
disaster alone appears likely seriously to endanger the
stability of the present dynasty ; and if the treaty of
Nanking had not arrested the career of invading con-
quest, the capture of Peking might ere now have
driven back the reigning family to their native do-
minions in Manchowria, and China Proper might be
just emerging from the widely-spread disasters of a
general anarchy. The viceroy and Tartar general
in Foo-chow hold equal rank, but are seldom on
terms of cordiality, the boundaries of their equal and
divided authority frequently operating as a cause of
misunderstanding.
Returning into the heart of the city by a different
route, I at length reached the vicinity of the viceroy's
palace. I called a sedan-chair from a public stand in
a neighbouring street, and after another half hour
350 POPULAR DISPOSITION TOWARDS FOREIGNERS.
found myself at the foot of the Woo-shih shan. Here
the Chinese servants attached to the Consulate, with
their office as f< retainers of the great English nation "
embroidered in large characters on the bosom of their
dress, as they strutted about in the apparent con-
sciousness of British protection, were living proofs of
the mighty inroads which have, during the present
generation, been made on the exclusive policy of the
Chinese Government.
On various other occasions I visited the central and
western parts of the city, occasionally sitting down in
the shop of a tradesman. The individual natives,
with whom I formed an acquaintance during my stay,
as well as the people generally, whose feelings I had
an opportunity of testing, showed the same friendly
disposition, which is prevalent among the Chinese in
other parts accessible to foreigners. The most un-
friendly part of their conduct was their unreasonable-
ness in demanding large sums of money for the most
trifling articles, which I wished to purchase. One
man came down to my price with great humour, as
I remonstrated with him on his making such a dif-
ference between his Chinese and foreign customers,
and repeated the proverb, " All the people comprised
within the four seas are as brethren."
During my daily strolls on the Woo-shih shan, I had
continual opportunities of an insight into the various
characters and pursuits of the people, who sauntered
to these parts as the Hyde Park of Foo-chow. On
one occasion I enjoyed the hospitality of the abbot of a
Taouist temple called the Taou-shan-kwan, a venerable
old man, seventy-five years of age, with long, flowing,
white beard, who, with his brother priests, was very
LATITUDINARIANISM OF TAOUISTS AND BUDHISTS. 351
friendly and polite. One of them afterwards re-joined
me alone ; and after reading for a few moments a
Christian book, as if to show the universal scepticism
of his mind, or his opinion of the unimportant cha-
racter of such subjects, he gave utterance to the
latitudinarian remark, that all religions were in prin-
ciple the same. Some Bonzes also followed me in
order to procure books, which they received with
their usual protestations of gratitude. Daily instances
occurred of the real indifference of both sects alike to
their respective superstitions, and of the total absence
of any alarm at the possible diminution of their influ-
ence by the dissemination of Christian tenets in these
publications.
In the same locality, and within a few minutes of
time, a Chinese Roman Catholic, who inherited from
his ancestors a profession of Christianity, after re-
ceiving a tract, drew forth a medal suspended from
his bosom, and inscribed with the images of Joseph,
the Virgin, and John the Baptist. The sight of these
(he said) recalled to his mind the good things which he
read in his holy books. From other sources I gained
the information, that there had been a recent perse-
cution of the Roman Catholics in the neighbourhood,
originating in their refusal to subscribe money to
the building or repair of some heathen temple. A
Spanish padre, named Justo D'Aguilar, had been
residing for a year at Foo-chow, under the terms of
the recent edict of universal religious toleration. He
wore a Chinese costume, but was said to be a person
of but little activity of body, or energy of mind, and
to be greatly discouraged at the prospects of Roman-
Catholicism in the city. The people were, in his
352 ROMAN CATHOLICS.
opinion, so apathetic, that he despaired of making any
converts from among them. In the northern part of
the province of Fokeen, at the distance of a hundred
miles from Foo-chow, there is a Popish bishop, a
Spaniard ninety years of age, who has been fifty years
in the country. There is also a Popish College ; and
the Romish converts are said to be more numerous
than the pagan inhabitants in some of those districts,
so that they are too powerful to become the victims
of persecution. In the course of an interview, the
British Consul took occasion to remonstrate with the
acting governor of the province against the invi-
dious distinctions and exclusive spirit, which were
supposed to pervade the second edict of Ke-ying,
apparently limiting the first edict of toleration to the
professors of the Roman-Catholic religion. In his
reply, the governor deprecated the idea of such dif-
ferences being known at Peking ; and stated that the
Emperor, in the full spirit of extending equal privi-
leges to the French and English nations, would grant
free and perfect toleration to the religion generally
of Western nations. He also intimated, that although
at Peking the Imperial Government knew no diffe-
rence between Roman Catholics and Protestants, he
himself appreciated the distinction, and preferred the
Protestants as less disposed to political intrigues. The
native authorities appeared to be well acquainted with
the movements of the Spanish padre, but had thus far
acted with liberality, promptly checking the mal-
treatment of the Chinese converts, when the real facts
of the case had been duly explained to them.
Mahomedanism, also, is not without its represen-
tatives in the city, six priests being resident at Foo-
MAHOMEDANS. 353
chow, who soon gain intelligence of the arrival of any
Mussulmans in the crews of foreign vessels, and visit
all such new-comers in order to sell their sacred
writings. There are also between twenty and thirty
Mahomedan fakirs, or religious beggars, who subsist
on the superstitions or the fears of the people.
Popular report states them to be the special favour-
ites of a Mongol Tartar, a member of the highest
board of the State, who, from Peking, would denounce
punishment on any person slighting the beggars.
Whether this rumour be true or false, there is no
doubt of its being serviceable to this class of the
wretched objects, who are so numerous in Chinese
cities.
Dec. 29th This being the period of the new moon,
the twelfth of the current Chinese year, the usual
scenes of the season gave an appearance of additional
excitement to the streets. Parties of mendicant
Bonzes were to be seen marching in slow movement,
and chanting some religious song, while one or two of
their number visited the neighbouring shops, to make
a collection. They had sometimes to wait for five
minutes before the tradesman, busily occupied with
his customers, deigned to take any notice of the
priests, who were generally dismissed with a few
copper cash. Close by, two men of more than ordi-
nary irascibility of temperament, were fiercely dealing
blows at each other's person, but were held back by
the surrounding crowd, so that little harm was done
by the excited pugilists. After being with difficulty
separated, they again rushed towards each other, and
levelled their aim with redoubled fury ; but being
again pulled back, they had only the satisfaction of
A A
354 NEW-MOON FESTIVAL.
beating the air. It was pleasing to observe the
general anxiety of the people to prevent any further
collision between the contending parties, as contrasted
with the disgraceful scenes sometimes seen in more
civilized countries on such occasions. The shop-
keepers rushed out of their houses, and for the time
it appeared to be every man's business to separate the
combatants, and lead them in different directions.
The system of dividing the city into wards, and
making the respective householders of each respon-
sible to Government for a breach of the peace in
their district, is here productive of the best effects,
not only in the prevention of disturbances generally,
but also in securing good treatment to any stranger
who visits the city from European vessels.
The frequent bridal processions and sounds of
music indicated, also, a more than ordinary number
of weddings at this auspicious season. Now and then,
also, a newly-promoted sew-tsai might be seen making
a formal visit to his friends, in a chair, with a retinue
of attendants and pipers, and rejoicing in the con-
sciousness of his newly-acquired dignity. Soon after
sunset the inhabitants of whole streets might be
observed bringing forth from their houses little heaps
of paper, inscribed with Chinese writing, which they
reverently burnt before the door, to prevent any pos-
sible desecration of their written character. The
smoking embers might be traced in succession for
some distance, as a mark of the universality of the
custom. The poor delinquents, who bore the wooden
collar as a punishment for their offences, and who
outnumbered all that I had seen in every other part
of China, seemed also at this time to enjoy some little
CULPRITS WEARING THE WOODEN COLLAR. 355
alleviation of their sufferings, in the kind attentions of
their friends. Some aged man might be observed,
whose appearance pointed him out as the parent of
the criminal, feeding, with paternal kindness, the full-
grown offender, who enjoyed, either by connivance or
permission of the police, his share in the convivial
festivities of the season.
The offences for which they suffered this slow and
attenuating torture were, generally, theft ; and the
mode of their punishment often gave rise to strange
scenes. Occasionally, a son of tender years might
be seen performing the office of filial piety, in re-
moving the accumulated dirt from the person of his
father. The criminals themselves seemed to have
exerted their powers of invention in discovering
modes of compensating the inconvenience of the pro-
jecting plank, separating between their upper and
lower extremities, by toothpicks and ear-picks, two
feet in length, which, with extended and carefully-
poised arm, they endeavoured to insert over the
wooden encumbrance into the appropriate place of
reception. Soon after sunset, a policeman arrives to
unlock the chain which fastens the cangue to the wall,
and the culprit is marched for the night to the com-
mon prison, whence, on the following day, he is again
conducted forth for exposure to public gaze.
It was difficult to conceive any thing more wretched
than the squalid class of beggars, who might be seen
in all the degrees of want and misery, from a state of
tattered garb and partial nakedness to that of extreme
destitution, shrivelled limbs, and pale-stricken coun-
tenance, loitering in the streets for the casual alms of
the benevolent, or lying by the way-side in the help-
A A2
356 WRETCHED CLASS OF BEGGARS.
lessness of pining sickness. One poor sufferer was
pushing himself along in a kind of box, with his lower
extremities eaten away by disease. He had placed
one of his feet, withered and dried, on a peg in front,
in order to obtain, by this hideous spectacle, the
earnestly-sought relief of the busy way-farers. A
Manchow military officer, passing by in his chair, and
attended by his lictors in all the stateliness and pride
of wealth, was a strong contrast with the widely-pre-
valent destitution of the beggar-population.
During the latter part of my stay at Foo-chow, I
remained generally on the little island between the
two bridges in the suburb of Nantai. The principal
part of this suburb is situated on the southern bank
of the river, and contains a population of 20,000.
The greater portion of these consist of boatmen, sailors,
and natives of Ningpo and of other distant places, who
come to the city in trading junks. This part abounds
with fish, fruit, and vegetables, which are everywhere
exposed for sale. The two latter articles are brought
hither by a fine healthy race of countrywomen, whose
hardy frames and active steps present a strong con-
trast with the limping gait and stunted growth of
the female population of the city. The practice of
cramping the feet by bandages from early infancy,
though not universal, as in the more northern cities,
is very general ; few women being exempted from this
customary infliction of cruelty, except the Tartar
ladies, the boatwomen on the river, and the lower
classes of female inhabitants generally, who may be
seen bearing burdens, and working with the activity
of men. Many of these women perform the work of
coolies, and hurry along the streets with bare feet, or
FISHING CORMORANTS. 357
with light shoes made of straw. They wear a hair-
pin of large size, and frequently made of silver, and are
the finest and most robust race of women to be seen
in China, compensating, in some degree, for the poor
appearance of the other sex.
Some of the inhabitants of Nantai have an ingenious
way of earning their livelihood, by training cormo-
rants to dive into the river and bring up fish from the
bottom. Generally, about the time of low water, a
boatman might be seen near the arches of the bridge,
with four or five cormorants perched on a boat. At
a given signal from the owner, one of these birds
bounded from the boat into the stream, and, after
looking about for a few moments, dived, to the bottom,
becoming invisible sometimes for two minutes, when
it generally rose, at forty or fifty yards' distance, to
breathe the air. After another minute the bird again
descended into the stream, and repeated the process
till it brought a fish to the surface, struggling in its
beak. This was a signal to the boatman to paddle
his little vessel to the spot, where he cast a net into
the river, and hauled both bird and fish into the boat.
The bird, conscious of its desert, flapped its wings,
and, by various odd motions, sought the usual reward
of a piece of fish, or other food, for its success. Some-
times two cormorants were fishing at the same time,
and were often for many minutes apparently lost.
The fisherman, however, easily followed them, his
little boat consisting merely of half-a-dozen bamboo
poles, which formed a light raft, sufficient for himself
and the birds, and was' easily paddled with a single
oar. During the time in which I watched their ope-
rations they caught three or four fish, one of which
358 BURIAL-GROUND.
was more than the captor could manage, and weighed
down its bill below the stream as it floated towards
the raft. It is said that a ring, placed round the
lower portion of the throat of these fishing cormorants,
disables them from swallowing their prey before the
boatman arrives to the rescue.
On Dec. 31, 1845, I made a visit to the country
bordering on Nantai to the south, by a hill which rose
abruptly to the height of 300 feet, and afforded a good
view of the city at three miles' distance. After pass-
ing over some broken ground, covered at intervals
with clumps of trees, I found myself amongst thou-
sands of tombs of every size, from the small mound
which covered the remains of the beggar, to the spa-
cious well-paved monument of the wealthy. Some of
the smaller ones were covered with a hard kind of
cement, or plaster, and resembled a mere mound of
earth, as in western countries. The larger kind of
mausolem, from its trefoil shape, resembled the last
letter in the Greek alphabet, the omega and the end
of all things. A long sandy hill of undulating surface,
dotted with a few plantations of cypresses and pines,
formed the general burial-ground of the city, beyond
which a plain of considerable extent stretched over a
cultivated line of country to the distant hills.
In one of the temples on the hill of Nantai I
witnessed a curious specimen of the power of priest-
craft, which still retains its hold on a portion of the
people. In a little temple, consisting of two or three
courts, dedicated to one of the Taouist deities, and
entrusted to a few priests, I met a Chinese, who had
come to obtain deliverance from domestic grief. The
cause of his affliction was the sickness and expected
A CASE OF PRIESTCRAFT. 359
death of his wife. The husband, dressed out in his
finest clothes, and loaded with offerings, stood before a
platform, in anxious expectation, while a priest went
through a variety of evolutions, tossings, and tum-
blings on the floor, to procure a good omen. With
his head bound in a red handkerchief, or turban, and a
quantity of burning paper in his hand, the priest vigo-
rously danced, with impassioned gestures, around a
table laden with cakes and fruits, while two attend-
ants, beating a gong and a drum, kept time with his
performance. At one time he prayed in softly-uttered
tones; soon again he employed scolding accents to the
deity whom he invoked. At one moment he would
endeavour to coax away the angry spirit ; at another,
he would terrify it away by whipping the air. After
half an hour's frantic noise, and persevering somer-
sets on the ground, he rose, and placed a hair-pin
on the head of the anxious husband, after binding the
hair into the peculiar tuft of the Taou sect. Some more
paper was burnt outside the temple ; the priest ceased
from his flagellations; the husband bowed down
several times before an idol which stood near ; and
after paying the usual fees to the priest, returned,
apparently satisfied, to the scene of his domestic
affliction.
CHAPTER XXIV.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF FOO-CHOW".
TOPOGRAPHY LOCAL TRADE OPIUM-DRAIN OF SPECIE NA-
TIVE IMPORTS AND EXPORTS MONETARY SYSTEM PRO-
SPECTS IN REFERENCE TO A EUROPEAN TRADE CHARACTER
OF PEOPLE NEIGHBOURING COUNTRY NUMBER OF RESI-
DENT GRADUATES, AND GENERAL SYSTEM OF LITERARY PRO-
MOTION DISPOSITION OF LOCAL MANDARINS PREVALENT
FEELING TOWARDS FOREIGNERS MISSIONARY ASPECT.
i.HE city of Foo-chow, called, in the local dialect,
Hok-choo, is situated in 26 T north latitude, and in
119 15' east longitude. The amount of its population,
in the absence of all authentic statistics, can only be a
subject of uncertain conjecture. The extent of space
within the city, actually covered with buildings,
would lead a visitor to estimate its size to be twice
that of Ningpo, three times that of Shanghai, and
nearly five times that of Amoy. The lowest estimate,
which I have heard, makes it to contain a population
of more than half a million of souls. I am myself
inclined to raise the number as high as 600,000 a
number which will not be considered excessive, when
it is remembered that the walls of the city are eight
miles and a half in circuit, and that nearly the whole
of the space inclosed by them is occupied by build-
ings. Although it is the capital of Fokeen province,
it is nevertheless, on the testimony of all the high
OPIUM-DRAIN OF SPECIE. 361
officers of the local Government, a city of little trade
with the interior, and of decreasing commercial im-
portance. Nor is its commerce with the maritime
parts of China of any considerable extent, its maritime
trade being checked by the hordes of pirates who,
more or less, for centuries have been the scourge of an
unwarlike people, and the terror of a weak Govern-
ment. The increasing diminution of its inland trade,
according to the statements of some of the most
respectable native traders, is mainly attributable to
the restraints which are imposed on legitimate com-
merce and native industry by the annual drain of
Sycee bullion from the country, in payment for opium
smuggled along the coast. Two millions of dollars'
worth of the drug are said to be annually imported
into the city. The principal opium station was for-
merly at Chin chew, 140 miles to the south of Foo-
chow ; but another depot has also been recently esta-
blished for the smuggling vessels, at the mouth of the
river Min, just beyond the consular limits of the port.
At the present time a considerable portion of the
opium finds its way from Foo-chow to other places in
the interior. From four to eight chests are also daily
retailed in the city. One half of the population are
supposed to be addicted to the indulgence ; and even
the lowest coolies and beggars often deny themselves a
portion of the substantial necessaries of life, in order to
enjoy the- prized luxury. Upwards of one hundred
smoking houses, with the exterior of private houses,
but having their interior fitted up with all the conve-
niences and apparatus for smoking, are spread over the
city. The fact of their being frequently situated near
the residences of the Mandarins, and being generally
362 REASONS FOR CONNIVANCE BY THE MANDARINS.
resorted to by the police and military, can leave no
doubt of the perfect notoriety of their existence among
the local officers of Government. A fear of the per-
sonal consequences of a collision with foreigners a
lurking suspicion of the connexion of the British
Government with the opium system a sense of inabi-
lity to put down by force the well-armed foreign
vessels stationed at the smuggling depots and the
harvest of bribes and secret duties which they are able
to reap from connivance are the several motives
which probably restrain the Mandarins from assuming
a position of decided hostility, and from enforcing the
prohibition of this contraband traffic by the severe
penalties of the law. These separate causes operate
conjointly in fostering and upholding an evil which,
by the general stagnation of native trade, and the
constant drain of the precious metals from the coun-
try, is fast producing a crisis, involving alike the
commercial ruin of the cities along the sea-board,
and the financial impoverishment of the empire ; and
which may be a more powerful argument to those who
have it in their power to arrest the evil, the closing
up, from sheer decay, of one of the most important
outlets for the manufactures of the West.
Notwithstanding these restrictions on its commer-
cial prosperity, Foo-chow possesses a large amount of
trade with other places in the various minor neces-
saries of life. From the neighbouring province of
Keangse there is an import of chinaware. From the
more distant province of Shanse skins and furs are
supplied. Junks from Shantung, Teensing, and other
places along the coast, bring vegetables and drugs.
From Ningpo cotton-cloth is imported. The tribute-
NATIVE IMPORTS AND EXPORTS. 363
bearing junks from the Loo-choo Islands import also
dried fish, birds'-nests, wine, beche-le-mer, and Japan-
ese ingots of gold to the annual value of 10,000 dollars.
The country in the north-western parts of the province
supplies the staple commodity of tea, tea-oil, rice,
bamboo-roots, fragrant wood, and ox-hides. From
the southern parts of the province, more especially
from the vicinity of Amoy and Chinchew, there is an
overland transit of rattans, pepper, long-cloths, wool-
lens, beche-le-mer, sharks'-fins, birds'-nests, sandal and
other scented woods, ginseng, sugar, and quicksilver,
imported from other countries into these southern
ports by their more adventurous inhabitants, and fur-
nishing them with a lucrative overland trade to the
capital of the province. In return for these native
imports, there is an export trade from Foo-chow of
bamboos, tea, spars, oranges, paper, and tin-foil for
idolatrous offerings. The number of large junks at
Foo-chow is inconsiderable, scarcely amounting to a
hundred, and these mostly from Ningpo. The lesser
junks come down the river, which is navigable for
nearly 200 miles to the north-western extremity of the
province. They are provided with an immense long
oar at the stern, and sometimes also at the bow, in-
stead of a rudder, to counteract the power of the
stream, which abounds with rapids, and is, on this
account, of rather difficult navigation.
The monetary system prevalent at Foo-chow indi-
cates an advanced state of commerce and civilization.
There are regular issues of promissory bills or notes,
varying in amount from 400 copper cash (equivalent
to about sixteen pence) to 1000 dollars, which supply
all the advantages, with as little as possible of the
364 MONETARY SYSTEM.
dangers, of a bank-note circulation. The blue, red,
and black colours, which are blended together on
these promissory bills, present a rather gay appear-
ance of signatures and indorsings. The name of the
issuing mercantile firm, and a number of characters
traced around the page, form the original impression
from an ink of a bright blue colour. The year,
month, and day of issue, and some ingeniously wrought
ciphers for the reception of signatures and prevention
of forgeries, are of a deep red. The entry of the sum,
together with the names of the issuing partner and
the receivers, stands forth in large black characters.
On the opposite side of the bill are the indorsements
of various individuals through whose hands the bill
has passed, in order to facilitate the detection of
forgeries, but not to render the indorsers further
liable. The credit of the firms is generally good,
and bankruptcies seldom occur. A small fee is
charged at the issue, and also at the discounting of
the bills, by the firm. The people value them as
much as silver ; and when I paid chair-bearers their
hire, they generally preferred a bill of this kind
to the payment of copper coin, on account of its
lightness.
There exists scarcely any foreign trade at Foo-
chow. There is only one European merchant resident
in the place ; and only seven foreign vessels have as
yet entered the port, of which three were American.
Nor are there any present signs of an immediate in-
crease in the foreign trade. As Foo-chow itself is
destitute of those manufactures and natural produc-
tions, which are required for export to Europe, tea,
brought from the upper parts of the province, is the
PROSPECTS IN REFERENCE TO A EUROPEAN TRADE. 365
only article of trade ever likely to become an impor-
tant item of foreign commerce. The province of
Fokeen is the great black-tea district of the empire,
and the famous hills of Bohea are situated only 150
miles to the north-west of Foo-chow. It does not,
therefore, seem to be very improbable that, on the
arrival of British capital at the port, the tea-merchants
may bring their teas for sale to Foo-chow, rather than
incur the expense of the present difficult and tedious
overland route of more than 600 miles to Canton. A
cargo of tea may be brought in boats in four days
down the stream to Foo-chow ; while the expensive
route over the mountainous country to Canton occu-
pies almost as many weeks. Some of the tea-growers
are also said to be desirous of bringing their teas to
Foo-chow, and exchanging them in barter for Euro-
pean goods. The principal obstacles appear to be
the general unwillingness of the Chinese to abandon
their old methods of trade, and the reluctance of the
foreign merchants to increase the number and expense
of their agencies, by commencing establishments at
any other ports than the two principal marts of Can-
ton and Shanghai.
The people have the character of being destitute of
the activity and enterprise, which generally distin-
guishes the Fokeen race above the population of other
provinces of China. Inhabiting a provincial capital,
which is excluded, by its isolated situation and the
difficult navigation of its river, from extensive inter-
course with maritime parts; and possessing among
themselves, through the favouring bounty of Provi-
dence, most of the resources necessary for human
subsistence ; the people have ever been indisposed to
366 CHARACTER OF THE PEOPLE.
emigrate, and have obtained little knowledge of foreign
nations. They are generally serious, grave, and almost
sullen in their deportment towards Europeans. This is
probably only a temporary effect of the stringent regu-
lations issued by the native authorities, by which the
people are prohibited from indulging their curiosity,
or using offensive expressions, when they meet a
foreigner. The few natives, who are brought into
connexion with foreigners, evince as much respect as
is to be commonly seen in other cities of China. If,
from want of a better acquaintance, the people gene-
rally are at present less cordial in their demeanour,
they are also, at the same time, less prone to indulge
in familiarity and forwardness of manner than the
Chinese in other parts where foreigners are better
known. There is evidently a growing improvement
in this respect ; and the popular mind, if not alien-
ated by that reckless conduct which too frequently
marks the advancing tide of our extended commerce,
will doubtless, ere long, be imbued with feelings of
positive friendliness and favour towards foreigners.
The numerous sedan-chairs, with two and some-
times four bearers, which impede the way at every
hundred yards, are a fair proof of the existence of
considerable wealth in the city. By far the greater
part, however, of the population are immersed in the
deepest poverty, earning, in compliance with the
sternest conditions of human nature, a scanty sub-
sistence by the sweat of their brow. The neighbour-
ing villages, which are scattered over the plain to the
encircling hills, contain an agricultural population.
The inhabitants of the villages on either bank of the
river towards the sea have the character of being
EMPLOYMENTS OF NATIVE POPULATION. 367
addicted to frequent acts of piracy and lawlessness.
The people who live in the city are generally em-
ployed in trade, or in the lower work of coolies and
labourers. Some of the artisans are in advance of
their countrymen in most other parts, being indebted
to foreign skill for the acquisition of those arts, from
which they derive their livelihood. There are several
watchmakers' shops, with watches and clocks of va-
rious degrees of excellence. The proprietors of these
shops freely acknowledged that the watches of most
delicate construction were imported into Canton from
foreign countries, and that the more common speci-
mens, made by themselves, were imitations of foreign
ingenuity. On the sale of a time-piece, a slip of
paper is given to the purchaser, containing, in Chi-
nese, a printed explanation of the European figures
on the dial. I have seen one of these watchmakers
take to pieces a lever-watch with the greatest des-
patch, and pronounce promptly on the cause of
stoppage. They bear a willing testimony to the su-
perior skill of foreigners in products of this kind.
The frequent exhibition of foreign scenes in their
picture-shops suggests the belief that they know some-
thing of the warlike disposition of the English. A
total exemption of the people from the disasters of
the late war, and the not improbable efforts of the
viceroy to conceal from them the humiliating capture
by the British of two important cities within his juris-
diction, may reasonably be supposed to have rendered
the inhabitants of Foo-chow more ignorant of the real
power and superiority of foreigners than the inhabi-
tants of the other consular cities of China. The Man-
darins themselves, however, know the real position of
368 NUMBER OF RESIDENT GRADUATES.
affairs ; and in the strong contrast, which their pro-
clamations respecting civility to foreigners form, with
the irresolute tone adopted by the native authorities
at Canton, we hail a favourable omen of their sin-
cerity, and the continuance of friendly relations with
foreigners.
The degree of literary reputation which Foo-chow
enjoys is a question which a casual visitor necessarily
finds difficulty in investigating. The following facts,
supplied to me by an intelligent Chinese, with whom
I became acquainted during my stay, will show that
it is entitled to no mean reputation in this respect.
Of the literary degree of sew-tsai, which is conferred
twice in every three years, there are about 8000 gra-
duates in the whole province of Fokeen, of whom 2000
belong to the city of Foo-chow. Of the degree of
keu-jin, which is conferred once in the same period of
time, there are about 1000 graduates throughout the
province, of whom 360 reside at the capital. Again,
of the degree of tsin-sze to which only about 360
graduates are promoted at each triennial examina-
tion at Peking from the eighteen provinces of the
empire, and beyond which step of literary distinction
promotion is so rare that only thirty persons are
raised to the highest degree of Han-lin, at each trien-
nial examination, from the whole of China there are
estimated to be 200 graduates in the province of
Fokeen, sixty of whom are inhabitants of the city.
In Foo-chow there are also 5000 literary students
who have not yet obtained a degree, and who earn
their livelihood by tuition and similar pursuits, a few
being employed in the subordinate situations of the
public offices of Government. The sew-tsai seldom
GENERAL SYSTEM OF LITERARY PROMOTION. 369
obtain promotion to political offices, unless they are
supported by the influence of private wealth. Even
the keu-jin, if they are poor men, have generally
to wait for ten or twelve years before they receive
preferment. The tsin-sze invariably gain immediate
promotion to an official station, as the sure reward of
their rare distinction. The successful few who rise
to the highest distinction of admission into the Han-
lin, or National College, form a body of councillors,
who are consulted by the Emperor on grave matters
of state policy, and from whom the highest ministers
of state are selected.
There is a great scarcity of large and handsome
temples in the city. There is, however, one of some
attractions to visitors, situated about half-way between
the south and the west gates, bordering on the outer-
side of the city wall, and nearly opposite to the Con-
sulate Hill. There is also a noted Budhist monastery,
called the Yung-tsemn-she, situated about half-way up
the Koo-shan range, about eight miles in a south-
eastern direction from Foo-chow. There are about
one hundred priests supported by the endowment, of
whom about sixty are generally resident.
The disposition of the present local authorities is
said to be, on the whole, liberal, and increasingly
favourable to foreigners. The present tsung-tuh, or
viceroy of the united provinces of Fokeen and
Chekeang, is named Sew yun-ko, who, although he
had the reputation of being, during the war, very
fierce in his hostility to the British, and the un-
flinching advocate of the harshest measures towards
the barbarians, has now mitigated his hatred, and
cultivates a friendly intercourse with the British
B B
370 DISPOSITION OF LOCAL MANDARINE.
Consul. The tseang-kemn, or Tartar general, named
King-mull, is a man of less popular manners, having
shown a considerable degree of bigotry and pride in
his intercourse with individual foreigners. Thefan-
tai, or treasurer, who at present is also the acting
governor of the province, is Sew Tee-yew, formerly
chief judge of Canton, a man of liberal views, and
remarkably well versed in the geography and
politics of the West. The hai-quan, or superin-
tendant of customs, is Ho lung-woo, a colonel in the
Tartar army, a frank and well-disposed man, but
possessing moderate ability, who lately held a similar
office at Amoy. Of the subordinate officers of Govern-
ment, the most prominent is the Min-heen, one of the
district magistrates, who held office formerly at Can-
ton, and has brought thence a taint of the old anti-
European feeling, which sometimes manifests itself in
the haughty flippancy of his demeanour, even when
mingling in the freedom of social intercourse with
foreigners. All these local authorities occupy official
residences in the city, which are approached by a
series of open spaces, court within court. Their
houses are supplied with furniture of a poor kind,
and are sheltered only by windows of paper from the
inclemency of the seasons. Their families generally
reside at a distance in their native districts, to avoid
the inconvenience and expense of the continual
removals consequent on translation or promotion to
other official appointments. In the festive mirth and
freedom of manner which distinguish their private
social intercourse, they evince great mutual confi-
dence, and appear to be on the best of terms with
each other. The city gates are shut soon after sunset ;
GOVERNOR OF THE PROVINCE. 371
and so rigid are the regulations of a garrison city,
that not even the Tartar general can be admitted into
the city after they are once closed. Of all these
officers of the local Government, the governor of the
province far exceeds the rest in the variety and
extent of his information, and in the liberality of his
views. In the reference that has already been made
to him in the case of the equal toleration of foreign
religions, it has been seen that he is far in advance of
the generality of his countrymen. In his intercourse
with the British Consul he has alluded, in con-
versation, to the more prominent events of modern
European history, and shown his general acquaint-
ance with European politics ; as, for instance,
the difficulty of governing Ireland on account of
Popery, the revolt of Belgium from Holland, the
separation from Britain and Spain of their colonies
in North and South America, the ambitious career
of Napoleon, and the closing victory of Waterloo.
He had even heard of the excitement in Eng-
land consequent on the discussion of the Maynooth
Grant. Sometimes, for hours together, he converses
on geography, and has pasted the Chinese characters
over an expensive American atlas, presented to him
by one of his subordinate officers from Canton ; in
addition to which, he will soon also possess a globe,
promised him by the Consul. The Consul's lady, at
his request, drew for him a map of the world, coloured
respectively according to the divisions into British,
French, and Russian dominions, &c. Shortly after the
receipt of it, he sent a note, inquiring the reason why
Afghanistan had been omitted, and whether it had
become amalgamated with Persia, or was no longer
B B 2
372 RESIDENCE OF INDIVIDUAL FOREIGNERS.
an independent kingdom. The Mandarins generally
appear, in conversation, to recognise the superior skill
of foreigners. One of them, the admiral, declined to
receive a visit of ceremony, on board his junk, from
some British officers, assigning as his reason the
great inferiority of his own vessel to a British ship-of-
war. On the whole, when we remember the impedi-
ments encountered at the first opening of the port, and
the slighting neglect formerly shown by the Chinese ;
the state of mutual friendliness between the native
authorities and the British Consul, which has been
brought about by the combined influence of courtesy
and firmness, is not only a satisfactory indication of
the growing liberality of the Mandarins themselves,
but also some guarantee, here at least, of that which
must be desired by every Christian philanthropist
the permanency of our pacific relations with China.
The boundary regulations, as settled by mutual
consent of the Chinese authorities and the British
Consul, extend over the valley of Foo-chow to the
surrounding hills. Europeans frequently make ex-
cursions for many miles through the neighbourhood,
and no vexatious restrictions have been as yet at-
tempted. Firmness on the part of a Consul is gene-
rally a sufficient preventive of any illiberal restraints
on the part of the Mandarins.
As regards the residence of individual foreigners,
there is no reason to believe that any great difficulty
will be experienced in renting commodious houses.
The partial difficulty which exists at present arises
more from a spirit of extortion, and a general dis-
trust of foreigners, than from fear of the authorities,
or deep-rooted aversion in the minds of the people.
MISSIONARY ASPECT. 373
Large and expensive houses may be obtained without
difficulty even at the present time. A Missionary,
either unmarried, or unaccompanied by his family in
the first instance, might easily induce the priests to
afford him a lodging in some of the temples within
the city, on the Woo-shih shan, or on the no less
salubrious site of the Kew-sin shan. In either of
these localities he would enjoy favourable opportuni-
ties of gaining the language by mingling with the
people, till his increasing acquaintance with the local
dialect, and the increasing confidence of the inhabi-
tants, should prepare the way also for the residence
of Missionary families. Without this previous ac-
quisition of the dialect, and preparation of the po-
pular mind, the residence of a married Missionary
with his family would probably occasion, for a time,
some practical inconveniences to the Missionary
work.
This leads me to the last and most important point
of view in which Foo-chow is to be regarded ; viz.
the nature and degree of its eligibility as a Missionary
Station. In enumerating, on the one hand, some of
the disadvantages of a Missionary Station at Foo-
chow, the obstacle of its present inaccessibility will
readily present itself to most minds. To this must
be added the fact, that the people have never yet
been impressed by any visible display of the national
superiority and civilization of foreigners. There is
also a spirit of suspicious distrust, naturally prevalent
among the inhabitants towards a race of strangers,
hitherto unknown. And, lastly, the local dialect,
partaking of all the difficulties of the Fokeen dialects
in other parts, is considered to be doubly barbarous
374 CLAIMS OF A PROTESTANT MISSION AT FOO-CHOW.
and difficult of acquirement. All these difficulties,
however, are either temporary, or surmountable by
those general habits of energy and perseverance, in-
dispensably necessary for usefulness in every portion
of the Missionary field in China.
On the other hand, however, we may contrast with
these disadvantages many considerations which point
out the desirableness of some Protestant Missionary
Society speedily occupying Foo-chow with a Missio-
nary establishment. Containing within the walls no
less a number than 600,000 inhabitants, and, as the
capital of a province, opening many channels of
intercourse with surrounding places, it occupies a
prominence in point of size, population, and local
importance, inferior only to Canton among the newly-
opened ports of China. It is free from the dete-
riorating influence of an extensive foreign commerce,
and the irritating effects of the late war, never having
experienced the disasters of foreign invasion. The
liberal disposition of the authorities, and the religious
indifference of the people, alike encourage the hope
that no jealousy of proselytism will throw inter-
ruptions in the way of Protestant Missionaries.
And, lastly, its strongest claims rest on the fact,
that while nearly every system of superstition has
here its living representatives, Protestant Chris-
tianity is alone unrepresented in this vast city : and
while every point along the coast accessible to
foreigners has been occupied by Missionary labourers,
the populous capital of Fokeen is as yet destitute of
a single evangelist of the unadulterated faith of the
Gospel.
Here, then, a sphere of usefulness lies open, where
RECAPITULATION. 375
no institution of caste operates to divide man from
man ; where no priesthood wields a general influence
over the fears or respect of the people ; where no
strength of religious bigotry threatens to oppose our
progress ; but where the principal obstacles, with
which we shall have to contend, are those national
traits of spiritual apathy and sensuality, which every-
where, alas ! are deeply rooted in the fallen nature
of man, and form the chief barrier to his reception of
pure and vital Christianity.
The view of this great heathen city, with its popu-
lation absorbed in earthly pursuits, devoid of every
care about a future life, and destitute of the means of
Christian instruction, was a spectacle which could not
but excite a train of melancholy reflections in the au-
thor's mind. He cherishes, however, the hope that his
visit may be instrumental in exciting other labourers
to enter on this Missionary field. When the primary
Stations of Shanghai and Ningpo shall have been
occupied by an adequate Missionary force, Foo-chow
will probably be the Station next entered upon by
the Church Missionary Society.
CHAPTER XXV.
DEPARTURE TO AMOY.
VOYAGE TO AMOY DESCRIPTION OF THE HARBOUR CAPTURE
OF AMOY, AND OCCUPATION OF KOO-LANG-SOO BY THE BRITISH
CIRCUMSTANCES ATTENDING THE FIRST ARRIVAL OF PRO-
TESTANT MISSIONARIES AT AMOY THE ISLAND OF KOO-
LANG-SOO SUFFERINGS OF THE PEOPLE FROM WAR AND
PESTILENCE IDOLATROUS RITES FOR AVERTING THEIR
CALAMITY EUROPEAN GRAVES THE MISSIONARIES' BURIAL-
PLACE.
ON Jan. 7th, 1846, I engaged a crew of Chinese to
convey me from Foo-chow in their boat to a vessel
a few miles down the river, in which I was to
embark for Amoy. The weather still continued
to be very cold, the thermometer standing at
about 45 degrees. Having the tide in our favour,
we arrived in two hours off Pagoda island. Here,
as we doubled the point, a strong head- wind meeting
the tide rendered our course rather dangerous,
and our boat was nearly swamped. The Chinese,
though the worst sailors, are the best boatmen in
the world. The experience, on former occasions,
of their extraordinary cleverness in managing a
boat, imparted to my mind a feeling of confidence,
which I could seldom, on a similar emergency,
have placed in the skill of foreigners. A man at the
head of the boat watched every wave as it approached,
VOYAGE TO AMOY. 377
and raised a shout, so as to give the stroke altogether
at the proper moment for avoiding the threatening
mass of water. About noon I embarked on board
the " Wolverine " brig-of-war, in which, through the
kindness of the captain in command, I obtained a pas-
sage to Amoy. We did not weigh anchor till the
following morning, when we sailed slowly down the
river with the ebb-tide, another brig-of-war, and also
a war-steamer, with the British admiral on board,
keeping us company a few miles astern. Near the
entrance of the narrow channel called the Kin-pai-
mun, where the Min expands into the broad harbour,
formed by the mouth of the river and two or three
adjoining islets, a sudden jerk and rolling of the vessel
warned us of our having run aground, and the anchor
was immediately let go. It was soon discovered that
the vessel was suspended mid-ships on a rock, of
which the charts gave no mention, in the middle of
the channel. With eight or nine fathoms of water at
our bow and stern we remained here for two hours,
the admiral in the meantime passing in the steamer
between us and the southern shore. Just as the
admiral had made a signal to the other brig to
" stand by vessel in distress," and three man-of-war's
boats were rowing alongside to haul us off, the rising
tide floated us aright, and we were soon again on our
course. The next signal from the admiral's ship,
" Proceed to Amoy," relieved us from the suspense in
which the possibility of our accompanying him across
to the island of Formosa had kept our minds. Soon
after we came to anchor, among a fleet of junks and
opium vessels, till the next morning, when we crossed
the bar, and proceeded before a fresh breeze, nine knots
378 DESCRIPTION OF THE HARBOUR.
an hour, towards Amoy. At daybreak on Jan. 10th
we arrived among the islands which, at the distance
of about eight miles from the city of Amoy, stretch
across the mouth of an extensive bay, formed by two
projecting headlands on the coast. The harbour en-
closed within extends for several miles, being open to
the sea on the south-east, and having on the south the
lofty hill of Lam-tai-boo, situated on the mainland,
and surmounted by a conspicuous pagoda. On the
south-west lies an island, with another conspicuous
pagoda, at the entrance of the river leading to the city
of Chang-chew, the capital of the department of that
name. On the east, at a greater distance, lies the
island of Quemoy. The island of Amoy itself fills up
the north and north-west of this circular range of
hills, which rival each other in the bold grandeur of
their towering cliffs and the wild sterility of their
scenery. Sailing along the southern shore of the
island, which is here lined with an extensive range of
batteries close to the water-edge, we at length came
to anchor in the lesser harbour, between the city and
the opposite island of Koo-lang-soo, which lies about
half a mile distant from Amoy. After another hour I
found myself domiciled among the Missionaries, expe-
riencing that hearty welcome and hospitality which
I never failed to receive, both from British and Ame-
rican Missionaries, during my visit to the consular
ports of China.
A brief relation of the part which Amoy bore in the
events of the British war with Cl ina, and of the cir-
cumstances attending the arrival of the first Protestant
Missionaries, will be appropriate, and necessary to
enable the reader to form a right estimate of the
EVENTS OF THE BRITISH WAR. 379
present position of the Mission. A more general
description of Amoy will be reserved till a later
period of the narrative, and will also be gathered from
the journal of daily occurrences.
In the summer of 1840, on the sailing of the British
expedition northward to Chusan, Amoy had been
exempted from the desolating terror of British arms.
In a later period of the same summer, the " Blonde "
frigate was despatched to Amoy, to deliver to the
local authorities a copy of a letter addressed by the
Foreign Secretary of State, Lord Palmerston, to the
principal officers and advisers of the Chinese emperor.
The same letter had been sent also to other places in
the north of China, where the native authorities, after
transcribing the contents, had politely returned it to
the messenger, with the haughty intimation that
neither the subject nor the style was suited to the
dignity of the imperial glance. At Amoy not even
this semblance of civility was shown ; and the Manda-
rins refused to receive the letter, or even to hold any
communication with the frigate. The interpreter,
who was deputed by the commanding officer to go
ashore and explain the objects of his visit, was also
fired upon in the boat. This drew down a severe
cannonade on the fort and city walls, which were
speedily emptied of their defenders. The absence of
a regular military force prevented further hostilities ;
and the commander contented himself with erecting
on the beach a bamboo-staff, with a proclamation and
the letter attached, for the information of the inhabi-
tants; after which the "Blonde" took her departure.
In August of the following year (1841) Amoy was
destined to become the scene of more destructive
380 CAPTURE OF AMOY.
operations. The British squadron, on its second
voyage from the south of China, appeared off the har-
bour on August 26th. A combined attack of the ves-
sels of war on the batteries of Amoy and Koo-lang-soo,
and the landing of a body of the troops, so as to flank
the Chinese troops engaged on the sea battery, after a
few hours dispersed the Chinese ; and the British, ad-
vancing without further resistance, made themselves
masters of the high ground on the east of the city,
where they bivouacked for the night. The next morn-
ing they entered the city, which had been generally
deserted by the people, and the commander-in-chief
quartered himself, with the troops, in the palace of
the principal Chinese officer, the te-tok, or admiral.
Very little spoil was found in the city, which is a
mere outport to more important cities in the neigh-
bourhood, and is not famous for the wealth of its
traders. Numerous excesses were committed by the
Indian troops ; and even to the present time husbands
and fathers speak, with excited feelings of indignation,
of the outrages committed on their families, which
disgraced that occasion. Proclamations were issued
by the British commander, promising protection to
the well-disposed inhabitants, and inviting them to
return to the city. This was the means of partially
gaining the confidence of the population, who soon
reverted to their former trades and occupations, and
never had reason to complain of the general treat-
ment which they subsequently received. The main
body of the force proceeded northward to Chusan.
Three vessels of war and a military force were left to
garrison the island of Koo-lang-soo, and to overawe
the city of Amoy, from which the troops were imme-
OCCUPATION OF KOO-LANG-SOO. 381
diately removed, Koo-lang-soo henceforth becoming
the head-quarters and residence for the British.
From this time the island remained in the quiet occu-
pation of the British, and Amoy itself was unaffected
by the subsequent events of the campaign in the
north. In August 1842 (one year after its capture)
Koo-lang-soo was temporarily ceded, with Chusan, to
the British, by the terms of the treaty of Nanking, till
the payment of the stipulated indemnity money. In
the beginning of 1845 it was voluntarily ceded by the
British to the Chinese, about twelve months before the
stipulated time of cession ; and the few British resi-
dents who remained passed over to Amoy, where they
experienced no difficulty in procuring suitable houses
amongst a friendly and respectful people.
The first Protestant Missionaries to Amoy had ar-
rived at Koo-lang-soo in the beginning of 1842, which,
it is necessary to bear in mind, was a few months pre-
vious to the "treaty of perpetual peace and friend-
ship." Two American clergymen, Rev. D. Abeel
(now, it is to be feared, lingering in the last extremity
of pulmonary disease in his native land) and the Rev.
W. J. Boone (now Bishop of the American Episcopal
Church at Shanghai), commenced their Missionary
work, by preaching, on the first Sabbath after their
arrival, in the Fokeen dialect of the district, which
they had exclusively studied at Singapore and in Java
among the numerous emigrants from this part of
China. Being unconnected with the British, they
occasionally ventured across from Koo-lang-soo to
Amoy ; and although, in the excited state of the popu-
lar mind, the experiment was by no means safe, their
knowledge of the dialect enabled them to remonstrate
382 FIRST ARRIVAL OF PROTESTANT MISSIONARIES.
with the people on the very first appearance of danger,
and to disarm the first symptoms of hostility. After
being for a time deemed neutral, they soon were
regarded even as friends; and the frequent cases of
maltreatment which they were able, as gratuitous in-
terpreters to the British commandant, to avert or
remedy by their influence, soon caused the Missiona-
ries, as a body, to be viewed as peaceable, upright, and
good men. Frequent cases occurred, also, in which,
as interpreters, they were able to mediate between
the British and the native authorities, which secured
for them, among the latter, feelings of respect, in
some cases perhaps associated with the character
of the American nation, rather than of the Christian
religion. It is, however, due to those excellent
men to state, that there appear to be no grounds
for suspecting them of a desire to encourage this
confusion of ideas, or to sink, in the slightest de-
gree, their distinctive character as Missionaries of the
Cross into that of mere partisans or patriots. Their
numbers were strengthened by gradual additions, both
of British and American Missionaries. After recent
losses by death or removal, they now amounted to six
in number, four of whom were Americans, and two
British. At the cession of Koo-lang-soo they migrated
with the mercantile residents and the British Consulate
to Amoy, where they now resided on the edge of the
water, opposite to Koo-lang-soo, having two chapels
situated in streets about a quarter of a mile distant,
in which divine service and preaching were regu-
larly held.
During the first week after my arrival at Amoy, I
paid frequent visits, with some of the Missionaries, to
DESCRIPTION OF KOO-LANG-SOO. 383
the opposite island of Koo-lang-soo. After a few
minutes' sailing in a boat, we landed on a long cause-
way of large granite slabs roughly hewn, and very
slippery from the multitude of little shell-fish left on
them at high water. The island itself is about a mile
in length, and the same in width at its broadest part.
Partaking of the same general ruggedness of aspect,
which is the almost unvarying feature of the whole
coast of China, from the mountainous shores of Shan-
tung to the rocky cliffs of Hainan, it possesses a
romantic beauty of scenery peculiarly its own, in the
glens and defiles which, in alternate succession, con-
duct the visitor among the overhanging masses of
rock of every imaginable form and appearance. In
some parts, little groves of banian-trees encircle a few
houses ; and the signs of cultivation are to be seen in
the crops of wheat and rice which line the beach
on its level parts. There are only two villages on
the island, which are prettily situated on the sea-side.
Of these, one lies on the shore opposite to Amoy ; the
other occupies the northern and more picturesque
extremity of the island. A series of gardens, with
their rich foliage, rise gracefully up the slope of a
little hill, till they meet the same odd jumble of
chasms and boulder-stones, piled aloft or loosely scat-
tered around ; huge masses of rock forming peaks on
high, and seeming to vibrate in the air and to quiver
in their nicely-balanced position. From the eminence
at the extreme southern point a fine view is obtained of
the outer harbour, and of the Six Islands, with the
sea beyond. On this point of land a British flag-staff
and battery formerly stood, commanding the approach
to Amoy. In the centre of the island the ground
384 SEVERE PESTILENCE AND MORTALITY.
generally rises by a gentle acclivity, except in a few
parts where the granite peaks suddenly rear their
towering heads. The island of Koo-lang-soo com-
mands the city on the opposite side, and was well
selected as the quarters of the British garrison, who
formed too small a force to be left in occupation
of the populous city itself. On the evacuation of the
British, every building, and every object which served
to remind them of British occupation, were destroyed
or removed. The barracks, the forts, the flag-staffs,
and even the frame-work of the windows and veran-
dahs, were all speedily demolished, and the materials
converted into firewood. The work of destruction
continued, till no remnants of the foreigners remained,
and the houses were restored to their primitive condi-
tion. The work of purgation was vigorously persisted
in. The roads were dug up, and the fields had again
begun to assume the appearance of cultivation. The
power of superstition and the aid of heathen priests
were duly invoked. Scarcely a day passed without
processions of idols, which were to be seen passing in
boats through the harbour amongst the fleet of junks,
each of which, with loudly-sounding gongs, saluted the
deity as it passed under the vessel towards the island
on the opposite side. The fearful mortality, which
carried off so many of the British, and which was un-
known previous to their occupation of the island, had
continued to prevail to an alarming extent during the
previous summer, notwithstanding the gradual resump-
tion of tillage. In one family, known to the Missio-
naries, and occupying one house, out of nine persons,
seven had fallen victims to the prevailing fever. Even
those who tilled the ground generally returned after
SUPERSTITIOUS RITES FOR AVERTING CALAMITY. 385
the day's labour to the less insalubrious residence of
Amoy to spend the night. The fears of the ignorant
imputed the common calamity to the evil spirits of
the English, who had been buried on the island. The
superstitions of the people magnified every little
event ; and the villagers were to be heard expatiating
on the mysterious scenes which they had witnessed,
of the ghosts of barbarians running up and down the
hills at night, and " talking English most fearfully."
On the first occasion of my visit, a large platform was
erected in the northern village. Close by was a tem-
porary building, destined to be succeeded, at some
future period, by a more substantial edifice. In this
the idols had been duly installed, and the tutelary
deities were invited back to resume their rule. Some
priests of the Taou sect stood by to re-consecrate the
spot, with attendants bearing cakes, fruits, and sweet-
meats ; while others beat drums and gongs, or played
some sacred air on a wind-instrument resembling the
bagpipe. A mournful chant was commenced, and
they moved forward in slow and solemn procession to
mount the platform, where the offering of gilt paper
and the burning of incense were prolonged amid the
anxious interest of the village crowd. Subscriptions
of money had been levied on the inhabitants of Koo-
lang-soo and Amoy ; and the afflicted people endea-
voured to encourage themselves in the hope that their
calamities of war and pestilence were now in course
of termination.
Some European graves on the eastern beach proved
the former existence of a foreign trade at Amoy. Two
grave-stones, with English inscriptions, bore the re-
spective dates of 1698 and 1700. There was also a
c c
386 EUROPEAN BURIAL-GROUND.
grave-stone, erected to the memory of a Spaniard. In
another part were buried the remains of a former
Roman-Catholic Bishop. There are also independent
grounds for believing that a considerable trade and
intercourse existed in former times between the Dutch
in Formosa and the Chinese at Amoy.
Indelible monuments of^he recent foreign occupa-
tion remained in the crowded British cemetery, in
which lay the unfortunate sufferers who fell victims to
the insalubrity of the spot. This cemetery was situated
at the eastern side of the island, near the landing-place,
and had many elegant grave-stones, erected by the sym-
pathy of surviving comrades. Near the northern vil-
lage, screened from view by a little assemblage of trees,
was situated the burial-ground of the Missionaries.
The unhealthiness of the climate had been severely
felt by this class of the Lord's labourers, who followed
in the train of earthly conquerors, to extend the blood-
less conquests of their divine Saviour. During the
last thirteen months, out of twenty-five members of
the Missionary families, eighteen had been removed by
various providential events. Three Missionaries had
permanently left, either from the failure of their own
health, or of that of their families. Two wives of
Missionaries had set out for their native land, on ac-
count of ill health, one of whom died on the voyage ;
while two others had been suddenly summoned from
the scenes of their Missionary work to higher employ-
ment in a better world. Two children had died, and
nine others had been sent to Europe or America. Six
Missionaries now remained, one of whom was married ;
so that there were in all seven labourers on the field.
In this little retired spot of ground were interred
THE MISSIONARY'S GRAVE. 387
the bodies of three female Missionaries, Mrs. Boone,
Mrs. Dotey, and Mrs. Pohlman, with the two children
of the last. They left America in the vigour of youth,
to consecrate their lives to the Missionary work ; but
were cut down, one after another, by premature
death, leaving their earthly partners to sorrow not
as those who have no hope. Appropriate texts and
inscriptions on the grave-stones told the confidence
of the departed in that Saviour in whom they had
trusted, and their devotion, even in the cold embrace
of death, to that work in which they had humbly
sought to spend and be spent. Among all the achieve-
ments which the annals of fame or the affection of the
living delight to tell of the departed dead, where is
the man, who has tasted the good word of God and the
powers of the world to come, who will not concede that
the most substantial glory is that which silently adorns
the Missionary's grave ?
c c 2
CHAPTER XXVI.
DAILY OCCURRENCES AT AMOY.
INTERVIEW WITH THE " HAI-HONG" LARGE COLLECTION OF
ANCESTRAL TABLETS IDOL-SHOPS FRIENDLINESS OF
PEOPLE MISSIONARY SERVICES REGULAR ATTENDANTS
SERVICE FOR CHINESE FEMALES.
JAN. 16th The friendly intercourse held by the Mis-
sionaries with the Chinese authorities at Amoy en-
couraged me to pay a visit to the hai-hong, the princi-
pal officer in municipal matters, whose jurisdiction,
similar to that of a lord-mayor, extended over the
city and island of Amoy. His predecessor, whom he
succeeded a few months ago, was a man of very
liberal views, and sometimes visited the Missionaries
without any ceremony or state, on which occasions he
used to take their children on his knee, and play
with them in the most friendly manner. The present
hai-hong possessed a large measure of his predecessor's
liberal views and popular manners, and was at all
times accessible. We walked over some rugged
rising ground near the beach, covered with tombs, the
masonry of which was in some cases dilapidated
through age, so as to expose the decayed coffins to
view. We soon arrived at the suburban hamlet of
Ha-mun-ka, in which the hai-hong's residence is
situated. A couple of long open courts and some
flights of steps conducted us at length to the recep-
tion-rooms and large open halls at the end of a raised
INTERVIEW WITH THE HAI-HONG. 389
area. The hai-hong had just gone to transact some
official business with the other Mandarins at the te-
tok's palace within the city, and, according to annual
custom, to seal up the public books and documents,
for the purpose of terminating all business during
the period of the new-year holidays, which lasted
from this, the 19th day of the twelfth moon, to the
20th day of the first moon. Two of his secretaries
received us, and conducted us into a little room on
the right, where they entertained us with tea and
oranges, and continued questioning us for half-an-hour,
till the usual discharge of guns and beating of gongs
announced the approach of the hai-hong himself on
his return home. Our cards, inscribed with our Chi-
nese names, having been first sent in according to due
form, an attendant returned to usher us into the large
reception-hall. Here the hai-hong himself, wearing
his cap, surmounted by a crystal button, and adorned
with a peacock's feather behind, with ornaments of
necklaces, and embroidery on his breast, advanced
to welcome us. He shook hands with us, and ad-
dressed us separately by our names, affixing to each
the appellation of " teacher." He placed himself at
the lowest seat ; and as we sipped tea together, with
about twenty attendants standing around, various
questions passed between him and the two American
Missionaries by whom I was accompanied. A sub-
ordinate officer interpreted between them, as the
Missionaries understood only the local dialect, and
the hai-hong spoke the Peking or Court dialect.
Occasionally a few words, in the Court dialect, passed
between the hai-hong and myself. Hearing that I
was a hung maou seen-sang, " an English teacher," he
390 HIS LIBERALITY TOWARDS MISSIONARIES.
asked if I was a le pai seen-sang, " a religious teacher."
I replied, that I was a chuen keaou, " a propagator of
religion," and asked if our objects in coming to the
Central Kingdom met his approbation. He replied,
that as we had come in order to teach men to act
irtuously, our object was good and benevolent, and
fie could not therefore but highly approve of it.
During the rest of the interview, he took frequent
occasion to commend our work, though he did not
go so far as his predecessor in office, who once
expressed his hope to Mr. Abeel that the Missionaries
would convert the people to Christianity, as they
would then become more loyal subjects. The present
of a Christian Almanack led to an examination of the
maps, and to many questions about England and her
possessions. He especially asked where India (Yin-
too) was situated. He then inquired how long I had
been in China, what amount of time I had devoted to
Chinese studies, and what parts of the coast I had
visited. He then asked to which of the five ports I
gave the preference, and whether I liked Fokeen
province as well as Che-keang. In the course of my
reply, I took an opportunity of acquainting him that
my friends were Americans, and I myself was an
Englishman ; but that the doctrines, which we pro-
fessed in common, made all nations brethren and
friends. This led to renewed professions of admira-
tion of our religion, and the statement of his wish to
be included among the number of our friends. He
expressed his hope that, if we wanted any favour, we
would not hesitate to convey our wishes to him ; and
intimated to us that he also, on his part, should place
similar confidence in our willingness to confer acts
TOPICS OF CONVERSATION. 391
of kindness on himself. This sounded rather strange
to me at the time, but received explanation from the
fact, of which I was afterwards informed, that the
Chinese authorities sometimes send a private mes-
senger to the Missionaries for information on various
matters affecting their intercourse with foreigners.
An instance of this kind lately occurred on the visit
of the French ambassador to a city forty miles in the
interior, by which the jealous surmises of the Man-
darins were excited. Their suspicions were removed
by the information of the Missionaries, who, in reply
to the official messenger, stated their opinion that the
French were uninfluenced by any sinister designs,
and actuated by no other motive than curiosity. The
presence of a body of men, whose knowledge of the
language enables them to hold free communication
with the Chinese, and whose objects form to the
Mandarins a guarantee for their integrity, cannot be
regarded otherwise than as an advantage even to the
secular interests of Europeans.
After making some inquiries from the two Missio-
naries respecting a barometer and a telescope, which
he had commissioned them to purchase for him, and
expressing some strange notions on the subject of
land-mists and sea-mists, he exchanged a few words,
in a low tone of voice, with an attendant. The latter,
watching his opportunity, whispered into the ear of
one of our party that the hai-hong had a number of
persons outside waiting for him to transact some
important business. This hint induced us to hasten
our departure, amid the greetings of the hai-hong,
who accompanied us to the outer court. Here we
found about a hundred officers, police-runners, and
392 A COLLECTION OF ANCESTRAL TABLETS.
lictors, regularly drawn up in files, awaiting his exit.
As we passed out of the courts into the neighbouring
street, our ears were greeted with the sounds of
pipes and drums, which form the usual salute to
visitors at the houses of the great.
We proceeded thence along the broad cause-way,
by which the victorious British troops advanced to-
wards the citadel on the capture of Amoy. It had
some old triumphal arches and gates, with some tem-
ples on either side of the road. We entered into one
of these temples, which had no idols, but was com-
pletely filled with rows of ancestral tablets, altogether
amounting to about three thousand in number. It
had been recently erected by the public subscriptions
of the officers and people, and was intended to com-
memorate the unfortunate multitudes, who had been
swept away by a fearful inundation in the neighbour-
hood. This disastrous occurrence took place in the
year 1842, when whole villages were swept away from
the vale of Chang-chew on the opposite mainland.
Hundreds of bodies were washed down the river, and
carried out into the sea by the current. Numbers
were also borne alongside the British vessels of war
then lying on the other side of Koo-lang-soo. This
building was erected to receive the ancestral tablets
of those families which had perished in the common
disaster. Many of the tablets had been carried away,
together with the temples which contained them, by
the all-destroying force of the waters. Such of the
tablets as had been recovered from the general de-
struction were carefully placed together in this tem-
ple, erected for the purpose. In the inscription
above the entrance we beheld as positive a proof as
IDOL-SHOPS. 393
could be required of the direct worship paid to
departed spirits, and the real demonolatry of the
Chinese : Yew kew peih ying, " Those who pray will
of necessity obtain a response/' tantamount to the
words of Scripture, Ask, and ye shall receive. Each
tablet was inscribed with the number of generations
through which the family was traced some thirteen,
some fourteen, and others seventeen. Although a
Chinese regards with superstitious, and even idola-
trous veneration, the ancestral tablets of his own
family, he does not extend the same feelings of
reverential awe to those of other families. It is not
uncommon for them to place the tablets of obsolete
or extinct families in some little spot, with an idol
presiding as a protector. They will, however, suffer
them to be removed, and sometimes even encourage
their removal by any one whose curiosity may prompt
to the act, and who will not wantonly injure them. A
Chinese of my acquaintance readily volunteered to
procure me a couple of tablets from this temple. He
seemed to consider them as common property, and
their removal to involve no act of desecration or dis-
honesty, as the original owners had no longer any
representatives.
In one of the narrow streets we entered an idol-
shop, where idols of every pattern and quality were
procurable, the prices varying from several dollars
each to the low sum of six cash, equal to about one
farthing. The licensed permission of the Mandarins
to pursue the vocation of idol-maker was visibly de-
picted on a sign-board in the shop. On another board
was a notice that precious Budhas were there manu-
factured or repaired. A large number of idols, of
394 FRIENDLINESS OF THE PEOPLE.
every shape and in every stage of manufacture, were
lying around. Another idol-manufactory had the sign
suspended over the door, " The golden Budha shop.''
These shops were to be seen at every quarter of a
mile, and presented groups of images, some black with
age and sent hither for regilding, and others gaudily
painted and fresh from the hand of the artist. Some
had stern visages ; some wore the expression of plea-
sure ; and all looked exceedingly grotesque. The
people outside would readily enter into the subject,
and laugh heartily as the Missionary pointed out to
them the unreasonable character of worship paid to
such divinities.
The people everywhere showed the same polite
attentions and friendly disposition ; and although the
Missionaries spoke boldly their sentiments on idolatry,
they did not appear to excite any ill-will. Mis-
takes at the commencement of the Mission were
sometimes made by the people, as to the objects
and motives of Missionaries. A Chinese came, soon
after their first arrival, and proposed to one of them
to effect an expulsion of the present Tartar dynasty,
which he demonstrated to be perfectly easy, if they
would only bring 4000 men to Amoy, to assist in carry-
ing out his plan ! As we passed along the street, in the
immediate vicinity of the residences of the Missiona-
ries, the frequent salutation greeted our ears, "Have
you eaten rice to-day?" "Have you eaten to the
full?" A special degree of interest seemed to be
produced on their minds by the arrival of a new
teacher ; and whenever I walked alone through these
streets, they endeavoured, in their simple manner, to
make me welcome by many acts of politeness and
MISSIONARY CHAPELS. 395
good-humoured remarks, the meaning of which I
could better understand by their looks than by their
language. The ropemakers, who thronged some of
the streets, generally called out to me as I endea-
voured to pass under the lines across the street, and
stopped their work that I might be enabled to cross
over without having to stoop.
Jan. ISth (Sunday) A description of the Missionary
services of this day will give an idea of the usual
course of Sabbath duties at Amoy. At 9 A.M. a Chi-
nese service was held at each of the two Missionary
chapels, one of which belonged to the American Board
of Foreign Missions, and the other to the London
Missionary Society. They were commodiously situ-
ated among the population, having been rented at a
moderate annual sum, and converted, at a small ex-
pense, from trading hongs, or warehouses, into chapels
capable of holding one hundred and fifty persons, with
moveable benches for seats. At 10 A. M. a Missionary
service was held among the Chinese, at the hospital,
by the medical Missionary who presided over the insti-
tution. At 11 A.M. an English service was held at the
house of one of the Missionaries, at which two or three
other Europeans sometimes were present. At 3 p. M.
another Chinese service was held at the two chapels.
Besides these services on Sundays, the Missionaries
generally visited one of the chapels every afternoon,
for the purpose of conversing with those whom cu-
riosity might induce to enter. These afternoon visits
were intermitted on those days on which they had a
Chinese Bible class at their own houses for their
teachers, domestics, and constant hearers. On one
afternoon in the week there was also a special meeting
396 MISSIONARY SERVICES.
for women, at the house of the only married Mis-
sionary, whose wife survived and was able to remain at
Amoy. She frequently received visits from her female
neighbours, and had continual access to their houses ;
by which friendly intercourse many prejudices were
removed, and their confidence was gained.
At the first public service which I attended, the
Missionary who officiated addressed about fifty Chi-
nese, drawing his comparisons and illustrations from
the customs of the approaching new year. He re-
marked on the scrupulous care with which they settled
their accounts, prepared their garments, and made
other arrangements for a suitable observance of the
holiday. He drew an argument from this their exces-
sive care in unimportant concerns, to the greatness of
their moral responsibility in the higher matter of pre-
paring to meet their God, and using every effort to
secure the salvation of their immortal souls. The
regular attendants were very attentive, and listened in
silence. The new comers were much less reverent,
and sometimes interrupted the preacher with remarks
or questions. One elderly gentleman, attired in a silk
gown, entered the room, bowing and nodding to the
preacher and the other persons present, whom he hap-
pened to recognise, as he was conducted by a Chinese,
who acted as a sexton, to a bench near the place
where I was sitting. The old man frequently gave
vent to a half-suppressed laugh, as the Missionary laid
open to view the interior scenes and detailed prepara-
tions of Chinese families in the prospect of the ap-
proaching festival. Again the old man's countenance
became grave, and his looks bespoke deep attention,
till some pointed remark or happy allusion again drew
INTERRUPTION BY A CHINESE. 397
forth a stifled laugh or an audibly expressed commen-
dation. After the sermon, a middle-aged Chinese,
of rather shabby exterior, went round and tried to
sound our breasts, for the purpose of listening whether
our hearts were good or wicked. He made many
comments after each experiment, in a way which left
doubt whether to regard him as a person of weak
mind or eccentric wit. On a previous occasion he
once interrupted the preacher for several minutes, in
the midst of his sermon, standing up and making
a lengthened harangue to those present, in order to
prove to them that all this attention and concern
respecting the future was unnecessary, and that the
best way to happiness was to banish all care and
thought about such matters from the mind. At the
hospital all the Chinese knelt down during the prayer.
In the chapels, where the congregations consisted of a
mixed class of hearers, those only who had been regu-
lar in their attendance were observed to kneel. About
twenty-five Chinese in all had been for some time under
instruction, and came nearly every day to the Missio-
naries. Two of these were old men, who had been
four years under a course of daily instruction. Their
baptism had been deferred so long, possibly even from
an excess of caution unwarranted by scriptural exam-
ples, but, nevertheless, under the strong conviction,
that, in the present circumstances of the Mission,
delay was far preferable to a premature admission of
converts ; which, though it might increase the number
of professing Christians, was calculated also to lower
the standard of spiritual religion in the eyes of the
heathen.
The most regular attendants on the services were
398 HONORARY TITLE OF FATHERS OF GRADUATES.
the following individuals, many of whom (as will be
perceived) were those who, from their situation or
employment, were in some measure dependent on the
Missionaries, and whose sincerity might, on that ac-
count, be exposed to suspicion. There were the two
old men, who were soon to be admitted to baptism,
Hok que-peh and Un sea-pai, both of whom keep
small shops, and rigidly abstain from trade and other
secular business on the Sabbath. There was also a
rich old merchant, engaged in the tea trade with Can-
ton, whose son had been advanced to the literary
degree of keu-jin, and was then at Peking, waiting for
political preferment. The old gentleman was gene-
rally known by the title of ta laou-yay, or "his lord-
ship," this being a title of salutation given to Manda-
rins of some of the intermediate ranks, and also con-
ferred by conventional usage on the fathers of the
higher classes of literary graduates. China is proba-
bly the only country in the world where a son can
thus, by his own individual merits, ennoble a father
with a title of honour. Another, also, of the daily
hearers was an old reclaimed opium smoker, named
Lim pai, who subsisted on his own small independent
means, and passed a great deal of his time in the
society of the Missionaries, according to his own pro-
fessions, in order to avoid the ensnaring influence of
his former boon-companions, and to be removed out of
the way of temptation. Among the regular atten-
dants there were also two old men, nearly blind,
named Ma sing-hea and Shwui lo, the latter being a
keeper of one of the chapels, in an upper room of
which he resided. Another old man, Ban hea, who
was formerly inclined to embrace the Roman-Catholic
NAMES OF REGULAR ATTENDANTS. 399
religion, but was deterred by fear of persecution, was
also a constant visitor of the Missionaries. Among
the middle-aged and younger men were Khey cheong,
a manufacturer of idol-paper for offerings, who pro-
fessed to be troubled in conscience at the sinfulness of
his calling, and wished to change his trade ; Hok ha,
a ropemaker, of very promising character ; Ching
han, a medical student attached to the Missionary
hospital ; and An jean, a leper who had been for some
time a patient in the hospital. There were also the
six teachers of the Missionaries, two of them being
graduates of the first or lowest degree. All of the
teachers appeared to be intellectually well acquainted
with the doctrines of Christianity, and assented to the
excellence and truth of the Gospel. One of them,
Tan seen-sang, after receiving preparatory instruction
from a Missionary during the morning, frequently
accompanied him in the afternoon to the chapel and
to other places, where he took his turn in addressing
the assembled Chinese. Of the expediency of this
course different persons may possibly take opposite
views: much, however, depends on the wisdom and
judgment exercised by the individual Missionary on
such occasions. There were also eleven other Chi-
nese attached to the families of Missionaries, or to the
hospital, whose daily opportunities had enabled them
to gain an insight into the more prominent doctrines
of Christianity, but who had not yet shown any decided
proofs of a change of heart. All these persons had
ceased to worship idols ; but with the exception of the
two old men about to be admitted to baptism, they
had not generally adopted the decided course of expel-
ling the images from their household. The old Ta laou-
400 SERVICE FOR CHINESE FEMALES.
yay adopted the custom of burning incense-sticks on a
household altar, from which he had recently expelled
the idol, and on which he said that he offered incense
to the one true God. Notwithstanding the frequent
censures of the Missionaries on this part of his conduct,
he still availed himself of every opportunity of attend-
ing the services, and might be seen every day at one
of the chapels, with his Chinese Testament and hymn-
book. He sometimes expressed a desire to be bap-
tized, and appeared to be sincerely convinced of the
superiority of the Christian religion ; but his self-
righteous views, and love of the material worship of
incense, pointed him out as on the broad road to
Popery, whenever he might be brought into contact
with a ritual form of worship, so studiously addressed
to the senses and the imagination. The largest
attendance which I witnessed, at either of the chapels,
was about one hundred.
At the religious meeting for women, men were not
generally admitted: on one or two occasions, how-
ever, I was present. A Missionary and his wife, with
one Chinese teacher and about twenty women, formed
our little assembly. The teacher addressed them
with much animation, and the Missionary concluded
with a suitable prayer, during which all knelt. At
the close, the women made remarks on the doctrines
being good ; and after some further conversation, and
taking tea together, departed to their homes.
CHAPTER XXVII.
NEW-YEAR FESTIVITIES.
CUSTOMARY OBSERVANCES OF THE NEW YEAR MORAL TRACTS
BY NATIVE SCHOLARS ANTITHETICAL SENTENCES OVER
THE ENTRANCE OF HOUSES BUSY ADJUSTMENT OF PECU-
NIARY MATTERS ANNUAL CUSTOM OF "SURROUNDING THE
FURNACE" A FAMILY SCENE SUPERSTITIOUS MODE OF
PROGNOSTICATING THE SEASONS OF THE COMING YEAR
NEW-YEAR VISITS TO SOME CHINESE FRIENDS TA LAOU-YAY
LIM-PAI LIM SEEN-SANG TAN SEEN-SANG UNIVERSAL
PREVALENCE OF GAMBLING A MISSIONARY SERVICE.
THE approach of the new-year holidays imparted for
the next few days an air of excitement to the busy
masses in the narrow crowded streets. In one of my
daily excursions with the Missionaries through the
city, we visited the temple of Kwante, the " god of
war," in whose image a piece of glass on the belly
was intended to represent the soul of the deity. Two
images of his attendants, with their usual fierce looks,
stood near to affright the superstitious. Near this
was also a temple of Budh's mother, whose image was
furnished with eighteen hands. A neighbouring hall
contained eighteen images, which represented the
eighteen original disciples of Budh. In these temples
we distributed copies of a tract composed for the
season, being an address to the people " on crossing
the new year."
D D
402 SANCTITY OF THE CHINESE WRITTEN CHARACTER.
We afterwards entered the citadel, or city proper,
which is included within the walls, and contains only
a small portion of the population. After a few mi-
nutes we reached the opposite gate to that by which
we had entered, and soon again passed into the outer
city on our return. A number of ornamented boxes,
or cabinets, about two feet in width, were to be seen,
at every two hundred yards, projecting from the
corner of some house, and having their exterior in-
scribed with various sentences, one of which intimated
to the reader that " every fragrant action would have
its remembrance." These, on inquiry, proved to be
little chests, voluntarily provided by the more super-
stitious of the shopkeepers, to become the depository
of pieces of paper inscribed with writing, in order
that no one might violate the sanctity of the Chinese
written character by tossing away these precious
fragments to be trodden under foot. At the new-
moon festival these scraps of paper are consumed,
according to custom, to prevent any imaginary dese-
cration.
In all directions, also, were to be seen a number of
moral tracts, which, at this period of the year, were
conspicuously displayed on the walls in places of
public resort, and contained the well-intended exhor-
tations to virtue, addressed by some native scholar to
his less-instructed countrymen. One of these was the
production of a sew-tsai graduate of Chang-chew, who,
after sundry magniloquent remarks of a prefatory
kind, exhorted his readers to regain their primitive
rectitude and virtue. About the middle of the sheet
a succession of diagrams or figures represented the
heart of man in the several stages of its downward
MORAL TRACTS BY NATIVE SCHOLARS. 403
career to vice. The heart was first white, without
blemish or spot, and a quotation was subjoined from
the ancient classics, to show that " man's disposition
is originally good." The next figure represented
the heart, with a small patch of black, to denote
incipient deterioration, the effect of neglected educa-
tion. The third, fourth, and fifth figures, with the
gradually increasing amount of black, denoted the
gradual but certain progress of moral depravity ; till
the sixth, with its rudely-shapen heart, entirely filled
up with black, showed the consummation of wicked-
ness, and the complete ascendency of evil principles.
The remaining six figures, with the brief moral sen-
tences appended below, proceeded to illustrate the
gradual restoration of the human heart, from the
lowest depths of depravity to the pure unsullied white
of original virtue, by obedience to the maxims of the
sages and the practice of good. Another part of the
sheet described the same progress to evil and restora-
tion to virtue, by means of hearts placed in different
degrees of obliquity. Copies of this moral tract had
been liberally circulated at Chang-chew by the ori-
ginal composer. The wooden block, from which it
had been printed, was sent to Amoy, where any one,
who had sufficient benevolence or interest in the
public morals, was permitted to strike off a number of
impressions for distribution. The name and seal of
the individual, who had the public spirit to incur the
expense of the paper, ink, and printing of this new
edition, were duly blazoned forth in red colour on the
lower part of the sheet, as the reward of his good
deeds.
Another custom, universally prevalent at this season,
DD 2
404 SENTENCES OVER THE ENTRANCE OF HOUSES.
and characteristic of the nation, deserves special no-
tice. The entrance to every Chinese dwelling had
visibly depicted on the door and door-posts*, as well
as on the cross-beam above, two or more pair of anti-
thetical sentences, chosen with great care from their
approved writings, and generally combining a number
of lucky expressions, as well as a neatly-contrived
antithesis of ideas and cognate tones. The selection
of these sentences requires an amount of classical
knowledge and critical acumen, such as is only pos-
sessed by literary persons. All the teachers of the
Missionaries petitioned for a short vacation, to enable
them to turn to their own pecuniary gain their respec-
tive talents in selecting and writing these antithetical
sentences. The poor scholars might be seen in all
directions standing at a table in some street, or at the
entrance of some temple, and selling their writings
for a few copper cash ; the new year being the annual
period for removing the old sentences and substituting
new ones in their place. The paper on which they
were written was of various colours; the general co-
lour, however, being of a deep red. White paper
denoted that the inmates had lost a parent during the
past year. The second year's mourning required blue
for a father ; yellow for a mother ; and carnation colour
for grand-parents. A light red indicated the third
year of mourning ; after which they reverted to the
usual colour of a dark red.
Numerous proclamations also, from the municipal
authorities, appeared at this time on the walls adjoin-
ing the gates of the citadel, on various subjects of
* See Deuteronomy vi. 9.
BUSY ADJUSTMENT OF PECUNIARY MATTERS. 405
public exhortation. One of these public notices con-
tained a warning from the district-magistrates, prohi-
biting constables and other subordinate officials from
apprehending individuals on the sanction of old war-
rants, and thus seeking to obtain a bribe for their
liberation.
Jan. 2Qth This being the last day of the Chinese
year, busy preparations were in progress for termi-
nating business, for laying in a stock of provisions, and
for celebrating the superstitious observances of the
evening. In all directions companies of cooly-bearers
might be seen carrying large packages of new-year
presents to the friends of their master. In the various
houses which we visited after sunset the head of the
establishment, attended by his sons or his partners,
was to be observed balancing his mercantile accounts,
and settling the debts of the year. So punctilious are
the Chinese in the observance of this commendable
practice, that they say they could not enjoy the festive
occasion, nor sleep during the night, unless they had
previously relieved their mind of this burden. The
swan-pwan, or counting board, was in constant use ;
and when the business seemed well nigh terminated,
and the books were about to be closed, a neighbour
would hurry into the shop, and pecuniary transactions
would again for a season be renewed. While these
important matters were in progress, the family were
engaged in burning gilt paper, with the occasional
discharge of fireworks, and in making preparations for
the peculiar annual custom named hivui loo, or " sur-
rounding the furnace." This is performed by the
members of each family sitting down to a substantial
supper, with a pan of charcoal placed under the table
406 ANNUAL CUSTOM OF "SURROUNDING THE FURNACE."
in the centre of the party. The only explanation
which they gave of this odd custom was, that fire is
the most potent of the elements ; and hence, probably,
they derived a notion of its efficacy in averting evil,
or in strengthening the bonds of family union. The
women observed this custom in an inner room by
themselves ; while the master of the house, with his
sons and his hired assistants, sat down in an outer
room. In one of the families, in which we were in-
vited to remain in order to view the detailed obser-
vances of the occasion, the proprietor, a man appa-
rently of some little wealth, sat down with his assis-
tants, his younger son, and two little grandsons. The
eldest son, a youth of about nineteen, sat near us,
attending to our wants, but without partaking of the
feast himself. Every minute he was on his legs, at-
tending to the beckoning motions of his father, on
whom he waited without the least appearance of its
being esteemed unusual. At one time he brought a
spoon, or a pair of chop-sticks ; at another time he
fetched a paper-napkin for his father's use, or re-
filled his glass with samshoo. The old gentleman,
after a short time, became silent and drowsy. But
the rest of the party meanwhile increased in mirth,
as they rapidly consumed the good fare placed before
them. The conversation became increasingly ani-
mated, and some of the women soon entered at the
further end, and joined in the subjects of amusement.
These were the secondary wives of the household, the
proper wife and the daughters-in-law being never
permitted to mingle in the free unrestrained con-
versation with strangers, which is sometimes allowed
in the inferior class of female domestics. Great
POSITION OF WIVES. 407
civility was shown to us, but we declined to partake
of the feast. It was very melancholy to witness
the habit of reckless lying, which manifested itself
so frequently in their replies ; both the old man
and the son showing not the least compunction or
sense of shame in telling flagrant falsehoods whenever
it suited their purpose. In reply to our question
about one of the women present, the old man said,
first, that she was an acquaintance ; then, shortly after,
that she was a daughter-in-law ; and, at last, the plain
truth came out, that she was one of his secondary
wives. Not the slightest jealousy appeared to be
cherished in regard to the latter class of wives, though
the mistress of the family did not once make her ap-
pearance. This lower class of women are generally
purchased from poor parents as domestic servants,
with the liberty of degrading them to the rank of in-
ferior wives; which practice is generally prevalent,
and is considered, even by their sages, to be strictly in
accordance with moral rectitude, if the proper wife
has given birth to no son. The offspring of both
classes of wives are considered legitimate, although
the sons of concubines, in inheriting the patrimony,
receive only half as much as the sfc<i of the proper
wife, or mistress of the household.
The supper being ended, they next prepared for
burning the small wooden frames of the lamps, which
are generally kept burning day and night in the dark
interior of their houses. From the ashes which
remain they profess to derive means of ascertaining
the exact period of the rainy and dry seasons of the
coming year ; the knowledge of which is very impor-
tant in a land where famine often exposes so many
408 MODE OF PROGNOSTICATING THE SEASONS.
thousands to the danger of starvation, from the de-
struction of their crops. Three little frames of lamps
were brought, and placed ready for lighting on the
pavement. The eldest son went forth into the street,
and discharged some crackers, to drive away the evil
spirits, while some of the domestics folded up about a
bushel of gold and silver paper into the shape of
lumps of silver. The eldest son returned and set fire
to the materials, and in about ten minutes the whole
was consumed to ashes. The live embers were then
carefully distributed into twelve little heaps, answering
to the twelve months of the year. They were then
anxiously watched, the heap which first burnt out show-
ing the most rainy month, and that which last burnt
out indicating the month in which there would be most
sunshine and least rain. Particular attention was
directed to the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh
months, as the rain, if excessive in those months,
would cause mildew and blight of the harvest Ac-
clamations of joy arose, as the second heap first died
out, and predicted the greatest quantity of rain in the
month when it would be most seasonable and least
injurious. The fifth month was to be clear weather,
and without rain. The sixth and seventh heaps, as
the partially-consumed embers were left half red-hot
and half black, denoted that there would be partly
fine and partly rainy weather in the corresponding
months. The result of the experiment seemed to
give the assembled party great satisfaction, which was
only slightly interrupted by our asking whether the
next neighbour's heaps of consumed embers would
coincide in the favourable prediction. To this they
replied by begging us to mark the result in the course
CEREMONY OF "KO-TOW" BEFORE A SCREEN. 409
of the year ; and also by saying that they had nothing
to do with their neighbour's house. The samshoo
now passed around, and we left them to prolong their
festivities for an hour or two, when they retired to
rest, till the booming of the midnight watch-gun
roused them from their slumbers, and they hastily rose
to offer each other their new-year's congratulations,
and to renew their feasting.
The next morning the city authorities commemo-
rated the new year, by assembling in a body, at dawn
of day, and going forth in procession to an imperial
temple in the suburb outside the north gate. There
they made nine ko-tow, or knockings of the head on
the ground before a large yellow screen, which, for
the occasion, occupied the place of imperial royalty.
This custom is renewed also on the emperor's birthday,
and denotes the most decided act of submission. It
was this ceremony which the imperial officers tried in
vain to extort from former British ambassadors, as
a token of vassalage.
Wishing to obtain a closer view of Chinese domestic
life, during this period of universal holiday, I availed
myself of the opportunity of accompanying one of the
American Missionaries on a series of calls at the
houses of his more constant hearers. After visiting a
few families in the immediate vicinity of our own
residence, we directed our steps to the house of the
old merchant, commonly addressed by the honourable
title of Ta laou-yay. His house, of better exterior
and larger size than the generality, enjoyed also the
rare distinction of two lofty poles of honour, com-
monly called joss-poles, and usually placed in front of
houses of Mandarins and temples of the first order.
410 A SUCCESSFUL LITERARY CAREER.
These were badges of honour ceded to the old man on
account of the successful literary career of his son,
now absent at Peking. The room, into which we
were conducted, was hung round with pictorial re-
presentations of landscapes and fairy scenes, and
delicate specimens of caligraphy. Among the latter
were two tablets, one of which was covered with the
character for " longevity," written in a hundred diffe-
rent modes; and the other with the character for
"happiness," written also in several different modes.
Both scrolls had a highly-ornamented paper as a
ground-work, and were sent as presents from Peking,
by his son. On the table were lying the cards of the
city Mandarins, sent out of compliment to his rank,
and containing the usual good wishes of the season.
Close to these was the new-year's state almanack, just
received from the capital. On another part of the
table lay a number of Christian tracts, and the Ten
Commandments, with a commentary, which he said that
he daily studied. He took me into an ante-room to
view his son's library, consisting of about two thousand
thin volumes, and occupying a book-shelf of moderate
size. Returning into the larger room, he pointed me
to a table at the upper end, occupying the place
usually assigned to the family idols and the ancestral
tablet, and bade me observe that there were no idols.
Two candle-stands and a few incense-sticks still re-
mained on this altar-table, with a cushion placed
before it, on which he said that he knelt to pray, and
burn incense to the one true God. I reminded him
that God was present everywhere, and willing to
receive worship in every place ; and that the state of
the heart was more important than posture of body or
A RECLAIMED OPIUM-SMOKER. 411
burning of incense. A beverage, made from lotus-
seed and a kind of dried fruit, with sweetmeats, was
now served round ; during which time he made in-
quiries respecting my visits to the other cities on the
coast of China, and the cause of my contemplated
return to England. He exhorted me to trust in Pro-
vidence for the restoration of my health. He passed
some high-flown compliments on ourselves, and made
some general remarks on the favourable opinion of the
Mandarins concerning the Missionaries, during which
he professed to repeat some recently-uttered flattery
of the officials respecting our integrity and benevo-
lence. A son and a grandson stood at the entrance of
the room, but did not utter a word, except when the
conversation was specially directed to them ; where-
upon they returned a modest reply, and again re-
sumed their silent quiet manner. He permitted us
at length to take our departure.
Our next visit was to the house of an old man
named Lim-pai, who had been recently reclaimed
from opium-smoking. The comparative poverty of his
present circumstances the consequence of the late
British war had produced in him a fretfulness and
irritability, which he had great difficulty in controlling.
He was formerly a landowner in Koo-lang-soo, and
was also the proprietor of some trading junks. The
arrival of the British force involved him in ruin, and
he had to effect his escape across to Amoy, where,
though much reduced in circumstances, he had at this
time sufficient means of subsistence ; his sons having
become boatmen, and contributing to the support of
their parent. According to the common custom
everywhere prevalent in China, the whole family,
412 DIFFICULTY IN REMOVING FAMILY IDOLS.
down to the third generation, lived together in one
house. Formerly he betrayed great excitement at
the remembrance of his misfortunes, bemoaning his
fate and the hardship of his lot. Latterly he appeared
to have been softened by the exhortations of the Mis-
sionaries to submit to the will of God ; my companion
especially, on this occasion, adverting to his own
recent domestic affliction in the loss of his wife and
two children, and instancing his own comfort and
trust in the mercy and love of a chastening Father.
The old man's spirits were gradually cheered, and he
talked about various matters of local interest. Seeing
on the table, at the end of the room, the usual assem-
blage of those emblems of superstition the family
idols on the right hand, and the ancestral tablet in its
corresponding case on the left I drew his attention
to the inconsistency of this fact with his regular
attendance at the chapel. I remarked also to him,
that Ta laou-yay had put away his idols, and that
I could have wished he had done the same. This ex-
cited the old man to say some uncharitable things of
Ta laou-yay ; in the course of which he called him an
old hypocrite, and asserted that, if we could gain
admission into the interior of the house, he doubted
not that we should find the idols in some other room.
A long conversation here took place, in which a ser-
vant who accompanied us earnestly took part, on the
difficulties and obstacles in the way of removing the
family idols. The old man said that he never wor-
shipped idols, and disbelieved in such nonsense ; but
grandmothers, mothers, and wives were so supersti-
tious the members of the family, who had to be
consulted and won over, were so numerous and
GENERAL THIRST FOR LITERARY DISTINCTION. 413
the domestic disturbance consequent on any rash
step of this kind outraging their feelings would
be so serious a matter that he preferred peace
and quietness, and was compelled to let the
idols remain merely for custom's sake, although
he himself never would be so foolish as to worship
them.
We next visited Lim seen-sang, a man of some
little property, who was engaged as teacher of one of
the Missionaries. His uncle held office in some dis-
tant part of the country, and had purchased for his
nephew the literary degree of sew-tsai ; but by sub-
sequent perseverance in his studies, Lim had also
secured, by his own personal merit, further advance-
ment to some intermediate literary honours beyond
the first degree, as about a dozen certificates on
the wall intimated. His grandmother having died
during the past year, etiquette required that he
should remain at home, and make no visits of
ceremony at the new year. The new antithetical
sentences, affixed to the door-posts and above the
entrance, were characteristic of the general thirst
for distinction : " May I be so learned as to
secrete in my mind three myriads of volumes!"
" May I know the affairs of the world for six thou-
sand years ! "
We afterwards walked within the citadel, and soon
arrived in a close narrow lane, in which was situated
the house of another of the teachers, Tan seen-sang,
whom we found at home awaiting our visit. He had,
much to our regret, incurred the expense of a little
feast, to do honour to the occasion, of which we were
compelled to partake. Several neighbours, chiefly
414 POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF AGED MOTHERS.
women, were congregated in the court, and our host
appeared rather proud of our visit. We were intro-
duced separately to all the denizens of the little street,
who came to present their congratulations. The
wife came out after a little time, and having modestly
paid her respects at a distance, soon retired into an
inner room. The old mother was, however, more
officious, and brought out her two young grandchild-
ren, smartly attired. She seemed to be the presiding
authority in the family ; and it was pleasing to
observe the extreme deference universally paid to
this elderly class of females. All the inmates of each
family appeared to be united in the closest bonds,
and to bring together their earnings to a common
fund, from which they defrayed the expenses of sup-
plying their daily wants. The old lady of the house-
hold acted in the useful capacity of nurse, house-
keeper, and adviser, and exercised over the members
of the family a general control, which was never
resisted. Her word was law, and her influence ap-
peared to be paramount.* The teacher was a poor
man, earning only six dollars a month from tuition.
He seemed, however, contented ; and the old lady
especially thanked my companion for his kindness to
* The facts which have been interspersed through this volume,
illustrative of the great deference to age and veneration for parents
among the Chinese, cannot have failed to strike the reader. The
national cohesion of China during so long and unprecedented a period
of time, amid the frequent change of her dynasties and the ruin of
surrounding empires, furnishes a remarkable historical comment on
the temporal promise annexed to the Fifth Commandment : " Honour
thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land
which the Lord thy God giveth thee."
AN INQUIRER. 417
entered into conversation with him, expressing his
satisfaction with the doctrines which he had just
heard, but saying that his mind was confused by the
perplexing variety of religions ; viz. the Budhist, the
Taouist, and the Roman-Catholic religions. He
especially inquired whether we practised fasting ; in
reply to which, he was informed that our mode of
fasting consisted not in mere abstinence from par-
ticular food, but in abstinence with a view to prayer,
humiliation, and meditation, the moral state of the
heart being the matter of essential importance. He
was encouraged to renew his visits, and reminded of
the unreasonableness of expecting to obtain an inti-
mate knowledge of all the doctrines of the Gospel
in a single hearing.
E E
CHAPTER XXVIII.
NEW YEAR VISITS OF CEREMONY TO THE HIGH
MANDARINS OF AMOY.
A CHINESE BRIDE VISIT TO THE TE-TOK, OR CHINESE ADMIRAL
HIS ADROITNESS IN ESCAPING THE BRITISH WAR HIS
RECENT DISGRACE THE CIIAM-HOO, OR MILITARY COMMAN-
DANT HIS DISCUSSION WITH THE MISSIONARIES, AND DE-
FENCE OF IDOLATRY THE TAOU-TAI, OR PREFECT, A MAN-
CHOW TARTAR THE HAI-QUAN, OR INSPECTOR OF CUSTOMS,
A MANCHOW THE HAI-HONG, OR LORD MAYOR A BUDHIST
NUNNERY THE PRIVILEGED INCORPORATION OF BEGGARS.
IN the evening of the same day we were invited by
Hok-ha, one of our neighbours, to pay a wedding-
visit to his bride, to whom he was married on the
preceding evening. He was a youth of about twenty-
one years of age, apparently a sincere inquirer after
Christian truth, and a constant attendant on the
means of grace, both at the chapel and at Mr. Pohl-
man's family devotions. His father died eleven years
ago, and he was now an assistant to his uncle, a
ropemaker. The latter, on whom he was in a great
measure dependent, had frequently shown his displea-
sure at Hok-ha's continual absence at the Missionary
services ; and on one occasion Hok-ha had to take
refuge for more than a week in the house of one of
the Missionaries from the harsh severity of his
relative. He showed much gratitude, and was evi-
dently attached to the Missionaries. He was in an
A CHINESE BRIDE. 419
interesting state of mind, and lived in the daily habit
of prayer. Seven years ago his widowed mother
purchased for him a wife, who had lived in the family
ever since, and was now sixteen years old. His
mother commanded her son to celebrate the nuptials,
though he would himself have preferred waiting for
two years, till his prospects were brighter, and he
became more independent of his uncle. But as the
old lady was anxious to establish the family, Hok-ha
being her only son, her commands were peremptory,
and obedient submission to her authoritative will
became his only alternative. Under the circumstances
of the bride being already an inmate of the family,
there was no marriage -procession to conduct her to
the house of her husband ; and there had been only
the usual feast and nuptial ceremonies on the pre-
ceding evening.
We were ushered by the bridegroom up two or
three flights of steps into his humble apartment, where
we took our seats on a couch opposite a table covered
with the remains of a feast. By the side of this table
the bride stood, having her eyes cast toward the
ground, and wrapt up in strict efforts to preserve
propriety ; custom not permitting a bride to speak
to a visitor till after three days, nor to go out, except
to the house of her parents, till after thirty days. She
was a very pretty, interesting girl, with a profusion of
artificial flowers forming a tiara on her head, and
with a handsome bright red bridal robe, her face
being covered with pearl-dust, rather beyond the
limits of European taste. At her husband's suggestion,
she handed to us a plate of sweetmeats, from a drawer,
of which we partook by way of compliment. She
E E 2
420 THE TE-TOK, OR ADMIRAL.
continued to stand during the whole of our visit.
A glass mirror lay on a dressing-table close by, into
which she directed an occasional glance, to assure
her mind of her strict preservation of appearances.
Although my companion once or twice addressed her,
she strictly preserved silence. She appeared, how-
ever, sometimes to experience difficulty in suppressing
a simpering laugh, and to be in great danger of
breaking through her affected seriousness. Hok-ha
seemed greatly pleased with his bride. He had re-
nounced idolatry ; and stated his determination to
have no idols in his own part of the house. In proof
of his sincerity, there were no idols, or other sym-
bols of idolatry, in the room in which we were, and
which was the only room exclusively belonging to
himself.
Jan. 28th This being the second day of the new
year, we formed a party of five Missionaries, in order
to make a visit, and to pay our respects to the high
Mandarins of the city. Entering the citadel, we soon
approached the large open area, forming the entrance
to the palace of the te-tok, or admiral. The first
court into which we passed consisted of a large in-
closed open space, with little outhouses or offices in a
dilapidated state on either side. This was occupied
for four or five days after the capture of Amoy by Sir
Hugh Gough and the British troops, till their removal
across to the island of Koo-lang-soo. The troops
bivouacked in this open court ; but, on the first night,
the buildings on the left were set on fire by the Chi-
nese. The present te-tok, who also, during the Bri-
tish war, was in power, and possessed the highest
authority, naval and military, was opportunely absent
HIS FORMER ADROITNESS AND RECENT DISGRACE. 421
from the scene of warlike operations. Shortly before
the capture of the city, he went out to sea with his
fleet of war-junks, ostensibly to meet the English ships
and sink them on the wide deep ; but he contrived to
miss the British fleet, and to escape the dreaded con-
flict. When all the local authorities were cashiered
and punished by the emperor for their pusillanimity
in suffering the barbarians to capture the place, the
te-tok, under these circumstances, received only a
light punishment, being merely degraded three de-
grees of rank. But on his memorializing the throne,
and representing that his absence from the scene of
war was more his misfortune than his fault, and was,
moreover, occasioned by his courage and zeal in the
public service, he was restored to all his forfeited
honours. Recently, however, he had again been in-
volved in trouble, by having recommended an unsuit-
able candidate for military promotion to one of the
national boards at Peking, -and had been stript of all
the badges of his former rank, but not of the power or
emoluments of office. We found, on inquiry from his
secretary, that he was absent on some expedition
along the coast, and would not return for six days.
He was now absent probably in ider to avoid the
mortification of being seen at this holiday season with-
out the usual badges of his rank, or to endeavour by
some signal service at sea to regain favour at Court,
which his reported wealth was likely to insure at a
very early period. His naval command extended
along the coast of Fokeen and Chekeang. He had
the character of being a confirmed opium-smoker,
and had sometimes come fresh from the fumes, so as
to talk rather wildly to the Missionaries amid the con-
422 HIS EXPLOITS AGAINST PIRATES.
fused state of his brain, boasting of his recent exploits
against the pirates, and of his having cut off a hundred
heads.
Our second visit, a few days later, which, for the sake
of convenience and connexion I here anticipate, was
more successful. He received us with apparent cordia-
lity. He was a decrepit old man of seventy years of age,
without any of the usual ornaments of official rank, both
he and his attendants being dressed in the plainest
style, on account of his recent disgrace. He smoked
tobacco incessantly, his conversation turning on his
recent exploits in Chekeang, where he said that he
had captured between thirty and forty pirates, and
the same number also in the neighbouring district of
Tung-hwa. He spoke of the pirates being at this
time very numerous. He next directed the topic of
conversation to the price of our furs and dresses. He
told us that his own fur came from Russia, and was of a
very rare kind ; acquainting us further with the price
of the small piece of fur which faced his cuffs, which
alone, he said, cost ten dollars. In reference to my
intended voyage to England, he advised me to hasten
my departure during the prevalence of the north
winds, which he seemed to think would take me the
whole voyage to Europe. It was currently rumoured
in Amoy that he wanted to resign his command, and
to retire to his native place in the south-western part
of Canton province, but that he could not yet obtain
permission to abandon his post. He received, with
expressions of thankfulness, St. Luke's Gospel and a
tract ; but appeared to possess very little intellectual
capacity, being a very unfavourable specimen of a
Chinese officer.
THE CHAM-HOO, OR COMMANDANT. 423
Our next visit was to the cham-hoo, or military com-
mandant, whose official residence was situated near
that of the te-tok. He came into an outer court to
meet us, shaking hands with us separately, and con-
ducted us into a large inner hall. He wore a light
blue knob on his cap, the badge of the third rank of
military officers. He was the only resident officer of
high rank, who was a native of the neighbourhood.
He spoke the Tung-hwa variety of the local dialect,
which enabled the Missionaries to converse freely
with him without the necessity of an intervening in-
terpreter. Of this they took full advantage, the cham-
hoo himself being also very friendly and communi-
cative. Finding that some of our number had been
originally resident in Java, he inquired particularly
about Calapa (Batavia) and the Chinese emigrants in
that country. He requested information respecting
the condition of the latter, and inquired whether they
preserved their Chinese customs and dress. He also
put several questions concerning the general character
and policy of the Dutch Government towards the
Chinese settlers. He then inquired about a teacher
named Boone, formerly at Amoy ; and mentioned his
having had some conversation respecting the United
States with a Chinese, who had accompanied Dr.
Boone from Amoy to America. He mentioned, also,
the fact of his having been shown a Daguerreotype
likeness, taken in America, and inquired whether the
Missionaries had the apparatus for taking likenesses
with such wonderful rapidity. He next wished to
hear particulars about a nation of dwarfs, in America,
of whom he had heard. An English Missionary pre-
sent, Mr. Young, who, through advantages in early
424 HIS DEFENCE OF IDOLATRY.
youth, now possessed a tolerably perfect knowledge of
the spoken dialect, drew the conversation to the sub-
ject of religion, and gave an outline of Christian
doctrines. The cham-hoo, after listening for some
minutes, replied, that their Chinese priests said almost
the same things as the Missionaries preached; and
that the religions of both Chinese and foreigners were
nearly the same. This led to a renewed explanation
of our doctrines on the part of the Missionary. The
cham-hoo listened with politeness for a time ; but on
the mention of the fall of man, and the depravity of
human nature, he made violent objections to the doc-
trine, asserting, with some degree of personal excite-
ment, that his own heart was correct, and his moral
disposition good. The Missionary renewed his sub-
ject by the softening preface, u Let not your lordship
be offended;" and proceeded to show that idolatry
was sin, and a proof of the fall ; that the pity of God
extended to this fallen world ; and that the mission
and atonement of Jesus Christ were the divine remedy
for the sins and sufferings of mankind. On this the
cham-hoo asked who was Jesus a god or a man ? He
afterwards contended, with some warmth, that the
Chinese did not worship idols, but merely made
images in remembrance of good men, whose example
they wished to imitate. In the course of his remarks,
he instanced Ma-tsoo-po, the great Fokeen goddess of
sailors. In a subsequent part of their conversation,
the Missionary asked him how it was that so many
junks which carried her image, in order to consult
the weather, and to obtain good luck, were lost at sea,
goddess, crew, and all. He replied that none could
resist " destiny " and the " decree of heaven ;" and
THE TAOU-TAI, OR PREFECT. 425
that those who worshipped Jesus were also unable to
avoid calamity. He at length turned the conversation
to other subjects ; two of his attendants in the mean-
while appearing to be differently affected by the con-
versation, and slipping out of the .room to conceal
their laughter. He promised to receive and peruse
some of our Christian books, and complimented us on
the excellence of our objects, saying that our religion
was calculated to unite all nations in the bond of
peace. After the usual supply of tea and sweetmeats
had passed round, we took leave of him in the outer
court, to which he accompanied us.
Returning from the citadel into the outer city,
we soon arrived at the residence of the prin-
cipal civil Mandarin, the taou-tai, a Manchow Tar-
tar, who was adorned with the insignia and opaque
blue knob of the fourth rank. Our cards having
been sent in, he speedily made his appearance
at a flight of steps in the outer court ; and, after shak-
ing hands, conducted us to an inner room, where he
continued standing till we were all seated, and then
himself occupied the lowest place. He lately served
as che-foo in Szechuen province, and came to Amoy
on his promotion. He made many inquiries about
our respective countries, and seemed to be much im-
pressed by the fact of our religion appearing to unite
us in the bonds of fraternal affection, though we be-
longed to different nations. He inquired the number
of years that had elapsed since the separation of the
United States from Britain, and expressed a wish to
obtain some maps of foreign lands, with the names
written in Chinese characters, which I subsequently
sent him as a present. Finding that, of the seven Mis-
426 THE HAI-QUAN, OR INSPECTOR OF CUSTOMS.
sionaries now resident at Amoy, three were English, he
remarked that we were better off than he was in this
respect, as he had only one Manchow fellow-country-
man, the hai-quan, besides himself at Amoy. He said
that there were about thirty-four Manchows holding
office in Fokeen province*, and also between four and
five thousand Manchow soldiers. He made inquiries
about Mr. Abeel, who, he said, had supplied him with
Christian books three years ago.
The hai-quan, or inspector of customs, a Manchow,
whom we next visited, was absent from home ; but, in
common with the rest of the Mandarins, sent his cards
to each of us the next day, by way of returning our
compliment.
From this point we sailed in a boat to the suburb
of Ha-mun-ka, to pay our respects to the hai-hong.
He received us with the same condescension and kind-
ness which we experienced on a former occasion, in-
quiring our ages, and complimenting the medical
Missionary present on the benevolence and skill of his
profession. He remarked that he had never seen any
* The Chinese at the present time frequently express dissatisfac-
tion with the diminished amount of encouragement which literature
receives in the promotion of officers on the claims of literary merit.
Under the preceding native dynasty, they say that all political offices
were conferred on the literary graduates ; but that under the present
foreign dynasty, out of every ten offices of Government, about three
are given to Manchows from birth, one to wealthy persons willing to
purchase promotion by bribery, and only six to Chinese graduates,
irrespectively of birth or wealth. The Manchow dynasty is thus
gradually closing up the only safety-valve for the ambition of native
patriots, and is exposed to serious danger from this outrage on public
opinion.
THE HAI-HONG, OR LORD MAYOR. 427
Roman-Catholic books, though that religious sect had
been for a long time in the country. During our
interview he voluntarily proposed that we should
send him an assortment of our religious books, saying,
that, after reading them himself, he would circulate
them amongst his people. We left, amid the shrill
notes of clarionets and pipes, and the rumbling mono-
tonous sounds of a kind of bass instrument, which only
gave one note throughout the tune to the other instru-
ments.
The next day a package of Christian books was
carefully selected, and forwarded to each of the Man-
darins, who sent their cards to us in acknowledgment
of the gift. The teacher who took the books, Tan
seen-sang, was summoned into the presence of the
cham-hoo, after the delivery of the books; and a
series of questions was put to him respecting the
nature of their contents, which, from his general
acquaintance with Christian doctrines, he was well
qualified to answer. He entered into the details of
our religion, and explained the nature of our books,
especially meeting the cham-hoo's objections as to the
different style of Chinese composition observable in
them. He drew his attention particularly to the fact of
our Bible being translated from the original languages
in which it was written, which would account for
its apparent contrariety to the Chinese literary style.
He explained that the tracts and books, written and
composed by the Missionaries, were original produc-
tions, and could therefore be more easily conformed to
Chinese taste and style. The cham-hoo professed to
enter into the distinction, as fully accounting for the
difference of style ; and said much to the teacher on
428 A BUDHIST NUNNERY.
the good objects of the Missionaries, and the excel-
lence of Christian doctrines.
During the next few days I was engaged in accom-
panying some of the Missionary brethren in their
afternoon excursions among the people ; and the
temples, the city ramparts, opium shops, and private
houses, were in turn the scene of our visits. On one
occasion we entered a Budhist nunnery, named Seen
shan she, in which ten nuns and four senior abbesses
resided. They brought us tea and sweetmeats, and
afterwards presented some to the little crowd which
followed us into the interior ; but the latter conside-
rately declined receiving any, saying that the nuns
would incur expense if so many received their kind-
ness. Of the two abbesses, who waited on us, one
was seventy and the other eighty years of age. The
latter had been sold to the nunnery at the age of
three years, where she had ever since lived. She
was now toothless from age, but seemed to receive
a larger measure of respect from the by-standers
than was usually accorded to this class of females.
The entrance had its newly-posted lucky sentences
to the following effect " Shut out from the world ;"
" Grandmothers in heart." In the temple in which
we sat there were images of the three precious
Budhs, on a raised platform, and of the original dis-
ciples of Budh on either side, with every imaginable
variety of expression depicted in their features. The
two abbesses spoke of Mr. Abeel having been there in
former times, and of his having given them some tracts,
which they were able to read a rare case of even the
lowest degree of mental culture being perceptible
among women, and especially among priestesses.
PRIVILEGED INCORPORATION OF BEGGARS. 429
Among the various matters of business observable
at this time of the new year, was the almost universal
practice of changing some small bills on the front of
the houses. These papers, on inquiry, were found to
refer to that numerous portion of the inhabitants of
Chinese cities the beggar population. The beggars
at Amoy are enrolled by a system of laws and regu-
lations, to which they are subject among themselves,
and of which the law of the state also takes an indirect
cognizance. A king of the beggars is duly elected
from their number, who calls on each householder at
the beginning of the year, and ascertains the monthly
subscription which he is willing to give, in order to be
free from the annoyance of their visits for alms, and
the clatter of the sticks, by which they implore relief.
For the sum of five or six hundred cash a month, he
gives a red piece of paper inscribed with three copies
of the characters for "great good luck," enclosed
within an outline of a jar or vase. This is affixed to
the door-post as a sign of immunity, and is renewed
at the commencement of every year. Any beggar
overlooking this bill of exemption, and entering a shop
for relief, may be seized by the householder, and be
beaten on the spot. The king, after giving a certain
proportion to the Mandarins, and apportioning a cer-
tain fund for the support of the incorporated society
of beggars, contrives to appropriate the remainder to
his own use, and to become a rich man. The beggars
are covered with tattered rags, wear long dishevelled
hair, and are not very particular in the mode of satis-
fying their hunger. I observed one pass the shop of
a confectioner, and stealthily slip a cake into his hand,
and thence into his sleeve. One of the partners, who
430 CHINESE LYNCH-LAW.
saw the theft, ran out and followed the thief, caught
him by the hair, made him restore the cake from the
folds of his sleeve, and then, by a species of lynch-law
very common in a country where ordinary law is ex-
pensive, and bribes must precede justice, gave the
beggar a severe beating, and let him depart, amid the
applause of the crowd, the good humour of the trades-
man himself, and a remarkable nonchalance on the
part of the offender.
CHAPTER XXIX.
FACTS ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE PREVALENCE AND EFFECTS
OF OPIUM-SMOKING.
VISIT TO OPIUM-DENS CONFESSIONS OF OPIUM- SMOKERS
MORAL AND PHYSICAL EFFECTS OF OPIU.M LOCAL SYSTEM
OF SMUGGLING, AND MODE OF RETAIL DETAILED TESTI-
MONY OF TEN CONSECUTIVE CASES OF OPIUM-SMOKERS,
TAKEN FROM THEIR OWN LIPS.
DURING my stay at Amoy I made many inquiries
respecting the prevalence and effects of opium-
smoking, and often visited, with a Missionary friend,
some of the shops in which opium was sold.
The first opium-house which we entered was situated
close to the entrance to the taou-tai's palace. Four
or five rooms, in different parts of a square court, were
occupied by men stretched out on a rude kind of
couch, on which lay a head-pillow, with lamps, pipes,
and other apparatus for smoking opium. In one part
of the principal room the proprietor stood, with deli-
cate steel-yards, weighing out the prepared drug,
which was of a dark, thick, semi-fluid consistency. A
little company of opium-smokers, who had come hither
to indulge in the expensive fumes, or to feast their
eyes with the sight of that which increasing poverty
had placed beyond their reach, soon gathered around
us, and entered into conversation. Lim-pai, who
accompanied us himself a reclaimed opium-smoker
432 VISIT TO OPIUM-DENS.
earnestly took part in the conversation with his
countrymen. They formed a motley group of sallow
sunken cheeks, and glassy watery eyes, as, with idiotic
look and vacant laugh, they readily volunteered items
of information, and described the process of their own
degradation. There was to be seen the youth, who,
just emerging from boyhood, had only commenced
the practice a little time before, and was now hasten-
ing to a premature old age. There was the man of
middle age, who, for half his life a victim of this
pernicious indulgence, was bearing with him to an
early grave the wreck of his worn-out constitution.
There was again the more elderly man, whose iron
strength of frame could better ward off* the slow but
certain advances of decrepitude, but whose bloated
cheek and vacant stare told of the struggle that was
raging within. There was again the rarely-seen spec-
tacle of old age ; and the man of sixty lived yet to
tell of forty years consumed in the seductions of this
vice. They all assented to the evils and sufferings of
their course, and professed a desire to be freed from
its power. They all complained of loss of appetite
of the agonizing cravings of the early morning of
prostration of strength and of increasing feebleness ;
but said that they could not gain firmness of resolution
to overcome the habit. They all stated its intoxicating
effects to be worse than those of drunkenness, and
described the extreme dizziness and vomiting which
ensued, so as to incapacitate them for exertion. The
oldest man among their number, with a strange incon-
sistency and candour, expatiated on the misery of his
course. For three years he said he had abandoned
the indulgence, at the period of Commissioner Lin's
SIX EVILS OF OPIUM-SMOKING. 433
menacing edicts and compulsory prohibition of opium.
At the conclusion of the British war, the foreign opium-
ships came unmolested to Amoy : he had opened an
opium shop for gain ; and soon he himself fell a victim.
He enlarged on the evils of opium- smoking, which he
asserted to be six. 1. Loss of appetite. 2. Loss of
strength. 3. Loss of money. 4. Loss of time. 5. Loss
of longevity. 6. Loss of virtue, leading to profligacy
and gambling. He then spoke of the insidious ap-
proaches of temptation, similar to those . of the
drunkard's career. A man was sick, or had a cold :
a friend recommended opium, and he fell into the
snare. Or, again, some acquaintance would meet him,
and press him, by urgent solicitations, to accompany'
him to an opium-house. At first he would refuse to
join in smoking; by degrees, however, his friends
became cheerful ; their society was pleasant ; his
scruples were derided; his objections speedily va-
nished ; he partook of the luxury ; it soon became
essential to his daily life ; and he found himself at
length unable to overcome its allurements.
Some of the Chinese present requested us to give
them medicine to cure them of the habit : but my
companion told them that the only medicine necessary
was a firm heart, which God could give them ; and
pointed them to Lim-pai, as an instance of the power
of a virtuous resolution. The latter again entered on
the subject, earnestly testifying his increased happi-
ness and comfort since he abandoned the vice half a
year ago. The oldest opium-smoker replied by ex-
cusing himself of all moral guilt in the matter, and
said that it was " heaven's decree " that he should be
overcome by the vice, which he therefore could not
F F
434 SYSTEM OF NATIVE SMUGGLING.
escape. We left this establishment amid many in-
quiries for medicine, in which the proprietor of the
house joined. He appeared not to be in the least
degree displeased at the freedom of our remarks on
an indulgence which brought him his means of liveli-
hood. On hearing that I was an English Missionary,
they exposed the inconsistency of my rebuking their
habit of smoking opium, while my countrymen brought
them the means of indulging it. Most of them
seemed to labour under the delusion that the Missio-
naries were all Americans, and the opium-smugglers
were ail Englishmen a mistake of which we of
course took every means of disabusing their minds.
I subsequently visited about thirty other opium-
shops in different parts of the city. One of these
opium- dens was a narrow, dark, and filthy hole,
almost unfit for a human being to enter, and appro-
priately joining a coffin-maker's shop. From the peo-
ple we gained various particulars as to the nature and
extent of the opium traffic. The large native whole-
sale dealers were in the habit of strongly manning
and arming a boat, in which they proceeded outside
the boundaries of the port to the Six Islands. There
the foreign opium-vessels lying at anchor were simi-
larly armed and prepared for resistance, in the event
of the Chinese authorities attempting to capture them.
The native boats returned with the chests of opium
to Amoy, and might be seen, with some European flag
flying aloft, passing swiftly through the harbour, with
sails set, and all the crew plying their oars. They
always formed too strong a force to encourage the
hope of successful pursuit, either by the pirates or by
the Mandarins. The wholesale native smugglers then
COGNIZANCE OF THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES. 435
retail the opium-balls separately to the retail-dealers
and proprietors of opium-shops. No secrecy is ob-
served respecting this article of universal traffic. I
have seen three consecutive houses, kept by opium-
venders. The people say that there are nearly a
thousand such establishments in Amoy. Public no-
tices on the corners of streets frequently invited the
attention of passers-by to opium " three winters old "
sold in the opposite house. To the better class of
these shops the servants of rich men might be seen
resorting, in order to purchase the prepared drug,
and to carry it in little boxes, or, if the quantity were
moderate, on little bamboo leaves, to their master, for
smoking at his own house. They all asserted that
they paid no bribes to the Mandarins, saying that
these also smoked opium, and, therefore, were pre-
vented by shame from interfering with the people.
They assented to the probability of bribes being paid
to the native authorities by the large wholesale pur-
chasers, who go outside the harbour to buy opium
from the foreign ships. Among other proofs of
the full cognizance of the local authorities, as well as
of the very general prevalence of opium-smoking,
may be mentioned the fact of persons being met with
in almost every street, who gain their entire livelihood
by manufacturing the bowls of opium pipes, which
they publicly expose for sale in every direction.
Wishing to obtain more accurate information and
data on the physical and moral effects of opium than
were to be gathered from a general recollection of the
cases which I witnessed, I was afterwards accompanied
by Mr. Pohlman, who kindly acted as interpreter, to
ten opium-houses, in order that I might possess ten
F F2
436 TEN CONSECUTIVE CASES OF OPIUM-SMOKERS.
consecutive cases of opium-smokers, and gain positive
testimony from their own confessions on the subject.
We generally took the first man in each house whom
we beheld in the act of inhaling the fumes ; and the
questions proposed were generally answered by the
individual without any restraint or unwillingness.
Sometimes his companions who might be present
spoke also in confirmation of his statements. The
simple evidence is recorded without lengthened com-
ment, to enable the reader to form his own unbiassed
opinion concerning the effects of opium. The writer
has no object in view but truth, and a desire that the
real state of the case, and the real effects of the sy-
stem should be known, whatever the result may
be, whether tending to augment or to moderate the
general current of the feelings and views of the bene-
volent portion of the public. He would merely
premise, that the recorded cases are those of poor men
frequenting houses of the lowest description, and not
generally possessing the means of a very excessive
indulgence ; and that the rich, who possess the power
of gratifying to the full their propensity to opium, do
not smoke the drug in these common establishments,
but consume it in secrecy at their own homes.
No. 1. Was that of a man thirty-nine years old, a
mate on board a trading-junk from Teen-sing. He
had smoked four years. He professed to have com-
mended the practice from a disease in the heart, and
to have found it beneficial as a relief from the pain.
During the first two years he gradually increased
the dose. During the last two years he smoked
daily ten fun, or candareens, i. e. one tseen, or mace
(equivalent to sixty grains, or one drachm) ; one
THEIR TESTIMONY AND CONFESSIONS. 437
half in the morning, and the other half in the
evening. The indulgence cost him daily 190 cash
(about eightpence) at the present rate of consump-
tion. He had a wife and five children. Early in the
morning, the craving desire for opium made him feel
ill till he took his accustomed quantity. He testified
to the diminution of his appetite and strength since
he began the habit. He was apparently a man of
very strong constitution and robust frame, and had
hitherto suffered but little from the effects, although
his countenance wore a bloated appearance.
No. 2. Was forty-two years old, and had been fif-
teen years an opium-smoker. He formerly smoked a
mace, but now, from poverty, could only afford to
smoke three candareens a day. He was a literary
teacher by profession, but was in reduced circum-
stances. He complained of decay of strength and
loss of appetite. He professed to be gradually leaving
off opium, under the compulsion of poverty ; but pain
in the stomach furnished him with an excuse for taking
an extra dose this afternoon. His hollow cheek and
sallow countenance rendered him a wretched and
pitiable-looking object.
No. 3. Was twenty-five years old, and had smoked
opium three years. He began the practice with two
or three candareens daily, but, having gradually in-
creased the dose, now smoked a mace. He com-
plained of loss of appetite and decay of strength. He
was formerly much stronger. He was the headman of
a company of coolies. Out of between 200 and 300
cash, his daily wages, he spent 190 cash in opium.
His idiotic look and sunken eye made him appear a
wretched object, overtaken in early youth by the
438 INEFFECTUAL EFFORTS TO REFORM.
decrepitude and infirmities of old age. The by-
standers gave him the character of being exceedingly
depraved, even in the Chinese estimate of morality.
No. 4. Was fifty-one years old, and had smoked
opium fifteen years. He was a sailor on board a
trading-junk. He had been smoking more than a
mace a day. He said that his appetite and strength
were greatly diminished. He was formerly addicted
to drunkenness ; but experienced the effects of opium
to be much more destructive. Opium often made him
ill. He often felt the desire to vomit, without the
power of doing so. By the advice, and with the help
of the keeper of the opium-house, he had been trying
to reform, and for eight days had not smoked his usual
dose. He was now eating a medicinal compound to cure
the craving, and to enable him to break off the habit by
degrees. This medicine was made of sugar, ginseng-
root, and some opium-soot ; sugar, however, forming
the principal ingredient. He confessed that he still
smoked a little at night, and appeared so wedded to
the vice, as to be almost an involuntary instrument in
hastening on his premature destruction.
No. 5. Was a deaf man, unable to catch a sound,
and suspicious withal: a wretched object, of about
forty years of age, in the greatest destitution, and with
squalid appearance. He came to the shop to buy
two candareens *of opium to smoke at his own house.
The by-standers said that a person commencing to
smoke opium would be intoxicated by two canda-
reens, but that a much larger quantity is gradually
required to produce this effect.
No. 6. Was fifty years old, and had smoked opium
fourteen years. He smoked a mace daily. He was
RETORT OF A NATIVE OPIUM-DEALER. 439
engaged in smoking over again the soot of opium,
scraped out from the bowl of his pipe. He said that
his appetite and strength were greatly diminished.
He was formerly an opium-house keeper, but failed
in business. He now hired the house in which we
were. In this wretched hovel he continued, on a
small scale, his former business. His sons, who were
farmers in the country, contributed to his support.
No. 7. Was forty-three years old, and had smoked
opium thirteen years. He was the proprietor of the
establishment, being employed also as a secretary to
some Mandarin. He had smoked from seven canda-
reens to a mace daily. He spoke of his loss of appe-
tite and strength. He stated that he was desirous of
reforming, and anxious to know the means of re-
formation. He had twice partially abandoned the in-
dulgence, but his boon companions inveigled him
back to the vice. He acknowledged that he was in
better health during the period of his abstinence, and
stated his conviction that, if he could even now
abandon the seduction, he would regain much of his
former strength. Previously to his former reforma-
tions, he had eaten a medicinal preparation, consisting
of two candareens of opium-soot mixed with arrack,
sugar, and other ingredients, amounting to eight kinds
in all. He assented to the folly and evil of his course.
A partner in one of the opium establishments, how-
ever, as he was weighing out the drug to his cus-
tomers, once retorted to the remonstrances of my
companion, by asking, " Why, then, do the foreign
ships bring us the opium ? Go, rather, and prevail
on your countrymen not to bring us opium."
No. 8. Was thirty years old, and had smoked, for
440 AGONY OF THE CRAVING STATE.
two years, three candareens a day ; one half in the
morning, and the other half in the evening. He
complained of loss of appetite and diminution of
strength. He said that he desired to reform, but was
unable to accomplish his desire, as abstinence, even
for a day or two, produced great distress and pain in
his limbs. He was a maker of bamboo chairs. He
had a wife, but no children. (The by-standers all
testified, on this and other occasions, that opium-
smokers have few children.) His cheeks had a
sallow, sunken appearance. He said that he was for-
merly stout and robust, and that he had lost one half
of his bodily weight. He persisted in this last state-
ment amid the expression of our incredulity.
No. 9. Was a boatman, fifty years old, and had
smoked three candareens a day for above ten years.
He complained of diminished appetite and strength,
and had a vacant look and bloated countenance.
No. 10. Was thirty-seven years old, and had smoked
opium for thirteen years. His usual dose was one
mace a day. He was a shoemaker, and had a wife
and three children. He professed to be desirous of
reforming, and took from his pocket a mixture of
opium-soot and salt to cure the craving. Two days
ago, having no money, he took no opium ; on the
previous day he took half a dose : on this day he had
taken no opium, but was in great suffering from
nervous prostration. He said that he was formerly
fat, healthy, and good looking. He had now a dread-
fully bloated appearance, was very weak, and unable
to eat his regular food. He wanted to know if there
was any thing that could enable him to reform. He
replied to the exhortations of my friend by shaking his
TEMPORARY RESOLUTIONS OF ABSTINENCE. 441
head, and pointing to his breast and hard breathing.
He proceeded to describe in detail, with accommodated
gestures, the manner in which, when making shoes at
his bench, if he had not the usual dose of opium, he fell
away into a fainting fit. He stated that he was in
the habit of propping up his strength by chewing a
little of the mixture. It was affecting to listen to the
description of his sufferings, and to behold the poor
victim raising himself to a high degree of excitement,
as he was describing the progress of his own misery.
He said, that, without the usual dose of opium, he
could not retain his food without vomiting. He
earned 260 cash a-day, out of which he spent from 180
to 220 cash in opium. His youngest son was born
six years ago, since which time he had had no off-
spring. He begged importunately for our help in
supplying him with a remedy ; and listened, vacantly
assenting, as Mr. Pohlman told him to pray for help,
in breaking off his vice, to the Almighty. He said
that three days ago he had worshipped the idol of
Shang-te (literally, " Almighty," the name of one of
their deities), on the birth-day of the god. He again
proceeded to imitate by gestures the panting of the
craving state, and complained of being in the midst of
temptations to the indulgence. He gladly assented
to Mr. Pohlman's proposal to come for five days to
our house, where he should have his rice gratuitously
supplied to him, that he might be placed beyond the
influence of temptation, and be enabled to abstain
from the indulgence. He seemed to be very earnest
in the expression of his gratitude. Early the next
morning he came to our house, professing his deter-
mination to practise total abstinence, and apparently
442 STRENGTH OF TEMPTATION.
resolved on breaking off the vice. He conducted
himself very well for several hours, but towards the
close of the day became evidently uncomfortable and
uneasy. He took his meals with the Chinese domes-
tics in a room below, and then returned to the Mis-
sionary's study. Here he soon after showed, by his
conversation, the struggle with temptation that was
pending within. He invented some excuses for going
into the street; but as he had no money, his pretext
for temporarily absenting himself from the house would
not suffice his purpose. He now spoke of his family
having no rice to eat, as he was not at home to earn
any money for them. He asked for a few cash to buy
a meal for them, which request was firmly refused, as
we believed him to be merely seeking the means of
satisfying an intense desire for opium, which he found
himself too weak in purpose to resist. He continued
some time longer with us in evident pain and suffer-
ing, and at last, overcome by the agony of the craving
state, disappeared into the streets.
CHAPTER XXX.
FACTS ILLUSTRATIVE OF FEMALE INFANTICIDE.
TRIP TO SURROUNDING VILLAGES TESTIMONY OF VILLAGERS
AS TO THE PREVALENCE AND THE MOTIVES OF INFANTICIDE
VILLAGE CLANSHIPS ANCESTRAL TEMPLE VILLAGE
SCHOOL-HOUSE CONFESSIONS OF INFANTICIDE PARENTS
MODES OF DEATH COMMONLY PRACTISED HOSPITALITY
OF A MEDICAL PATIENT CASE OF ATTEMPTED INFANTICIDE
DEGRADATION OF THE FEMALE SEX.
JAN. 30#A During my occasional visits on horseback
to the villages scattered over the island, the subject
of female infanticide was brought under my notice.
The facts, with which I became acquainted at Amoy,
produced in my mind a conviction that this social evil
exists in the province of Fokeen to an extent which
would be incredible, unless the fullest evidence were
at hand to establish its truth. In the other parts of
China which I visited, no well-authenticated cases
were brought under my knowledge sufficient to
prove that this crime prevailed to any considerable
extent. In the vicinity of Shanghai and Ningpo,
the moral atrocity, if perpetrated, lurks in secret,
and is comparatively too rare an occurrence to
be regarded as possessing the sanction of public
opinion.
On this day I was accompanied by the same kind
friend, who was ever ready to place his valuable aid
444 STATISTICAL FACTS RESPECTING INFANTICIDE.
at my disposal, in visiting and gaining information
from the people. We set out for some native villages
on the opposite side of the island, and at an early hour
of the day had passed through the suburb on the east
of the city. Our course lay over an extensive mili-
tary parade-ground, situated above the sea-battery.
In one part there was a little tower, on the top of
which the high military officers were accustomed to
sit as judges of the skill of the troops in shooting
arrows at a large target, which was placed against a
pillar at a little distance. In another part of the
ground there were some walls, with mounds of sand,
at which the soldiers practised firing with bullets. At
a little distance beyond, a line of massive fortifications
skirted the beach for a mile, till, at the further end,
bending to the north, it formed a junction with the
lofty precipices, which constitute a mountain-barrier
of natural defences to the city on its northern and
eastern sides. Through this wall we passed under
one of the gateways, by which the British troops had
entered in their advance towards the city. The whole
line of fortifications appeared to be in good repair, but
to be entirely destitute of guns, both on the ramparts
and on the watch-towers.
After a ride of six miles, we entered a village
named Hong-choo, where the people soon gathered
around us, and my companion entered into conversa-
tion with them. The subject was gradually and cau-
tiously led to infanticide, on which they readily offered
various items of statistical information. They asserted,
without hesitation, that female infanticide was gene-
rally practised amongst them ; and their statements
were offered to us in a manner, which indicated the
VILLAGE CLANSHIPS. 445
total absence of criminality from their views of the
practice. They stated that poor persons generally
put to death two female infants out of every four, im-
mediately after birth ; but that rich persons, who
could afford to rear their female offspring, were not
in the habit of murdering their daughters.
In the next village, about a mile distant, called
Baw-a-aou, we remained for two or three hours among
the people, who partook of the general friendly cha-
racter of Chinese villagers. The whole village was
inhabited by persons having the same surname ofLim,
or Lin, who appeared to be united together by the
ties of patriarchal law. This village clanship is a
powerful bond of union, all the inhabitants regarding
each other as heung-te, brethren or cousins. They
have a common property in the wells and the temples
within their boundaries, which form subjects of occa-
sional dispute with the people of the next village.
These quarrels sometimes are carried to such an
extent that the belligerents on either side regularly
muster their forces, and an appeal is made to physical
violence ; the results of this village- warfare seldom,
however, extending beyond broken heads and frac-
tured limbs. They seemed to experience satisfaction
in showing us the little temples and shrines, and espe-
cially in conducting us to explore that most potent
charm in the ancient associations and legends of the
village the temple assigned to the sepulchral tablets
of their common ancestors. The ancestral tablets of
the original founders of the clan were duly arranged
in three rows. In the principal hall, which opened
into an adjoining square, there were about six tablets
in all. The earliest were placed in the third rank
446 PREVALENCE OF INFANTICIDE.
behind, and professed to number ten generations ; the
middle rank eleven ; and the fore rank twelve. The
latest of these tablets were two or three hundred
years old, since which time no addition had been
made to their number. At the present time, even the
oldest and most respected men of the village, after
their death, merely had their tablets erected in the
private dwellings of their own family. There was an
immense vase for incense, with a lion carved on the
top, and with incense-sticks on a table which stood
before it. The people seemed to attach great sanctity
to the tablets, and said that no amount of money could
prevail on them to dispose of these emblems of ances-
tral worth.
We soon adjourned to another public room of the
village, which was used as a school-house. The
people were rather afraid of our horses ; and it was
some time before we could prevail on the most cou-
rageous of their number to get some fodder, and to
undertake to hold them. We were then taken to
some seats in the principal hall, at the other end of
which some idols were standing on a little platform.
About a hundred people were speedily collected around
us, most of whom adopted various methods of showing
civility. The horrible subject of infanticide was here
also introduced. They confirmed the testimony of the
people in the last village, that out of four daughters
poor men generally murdered two, and sometimes
even three. They stated that, in their own village, out
of six daughters it was customary to kill three ; some
murdered four, and a few even five out of the same
number. They said that the proportion of female
children which they put to death entirely depended
MODES OF DEATH COMMONLY PRACTISED. 447
on the poverty of the individual. They told us that
the death of the infant was effected immediately after
birth, and that four different modes of infanticide
were practised amongst them ; viz. drowning in a
vessel of water, pinching the throat, stifling by means
of a wet cloth over the mouth, and choking by a few
grains of rice placed into the mouth of the infant.
If sons were alternately interspersed with daughters
in a family, the people esteemed it good luck, and
were not accustomed to murder the female children.
We told them that many persons in our native lands
were unwilling to believe that the Chinese were guilty
of so cruel a practice. They all asserted that their
statements were true ; but after this, as might have
been expected, they individually showed reluctance
in acknowledging that either themselves or their
parents had been guilty of infanticide. Finding that
we strongly condemned the custom, they were rather
guarded in making any confessions of personal parti-
cipation in the practice.
At this time a man of the village, named Lin
HeaoUy joined our party, and gave us an invitation to
his house, which was a well-intended compliment, but
which our knowledge of his deep poverty prevented
our accepting, as we thought that he would be better
pleased with our declining. The poor man had pre-
viously become acquainted with my companion in a
remarkable manner. The latter, while walking, a few
days previously, near the city, with another Missionary,
had met this villager with a fine healthy-looking child
in his arms, and had commenced a conversation with
him by expressing admiration of the child. The
father, with a look indicating extreme wretchedness,
448 CONFESSIONS OF INFANTICIDE PARENTS.
shook his head, and said that he was the most unfor-
tunate of human beings, as it was a, female child. On
their making further inquiry, he informed them that he
had had eight children, all daughters, of whom he had
murdered five. The man now appeared before us, with
the same child in his arms, and renewed his pitiable
tale, which was confirmed, as a matter of perfect noto-
riety, by the crowd around us. As he fondled the
child in his arms, his manner indicated no deficiency
in paternal affection towards his offspring. He dwelt,
however, on the misery of his " fate," and described
the process of his former infanticide, by placing the
infants in a tub of water immediately after birth.
Heaou was a small farmer or gardener, cultivating
four little plots of ground. He had no son on whom
to lean for support in his old age. He seemed deeply
affected as he dwelt on his sorrows, esteeming himself
the most ill-fated of men in having eight children,
and no son among them. The people around, espe-
cially the women, appeared to think light of the
matter, and indulged in frequent humour and levity.
The man himself said that he always had compunc-
tions of grief for ten days after murdering a child ; and
that both he and his wife wept very much at the time,
and grieved at their misfortune in having female off-
spring.
One old man, whom we questioned, confessed pub-
licly before the crowd, that out of six daughters he
had murdered three. At first, he said that he did not
remember whether he had murdered two or three.
He said that he smothered them by putting grass into
their mouth ; and that he felt more peaceful and
quiet in his mind under the disgrace which he
HOSPITALITY OF A MEDICAL PATIENT. 449
suffered, when he had thus put his female offspring
out of the way. Both he and his wife wept very
much, but felt no compunctions of conscience at
the deed. He replied to Mr. Pohlman's remon-
strances by saying that he would admonish all his
daughters-in-law in future to preserve their female
children.
A former patient of the Medical Missionary Hospital
now joined us, named Lingnew, who had had a tumour,
weighing nearly two pounds, removed by a surgical
operation from his neck, and had his life thus pro-
longed by foreign benevolence and skill. We ac-
cepted his invitation to take a meal, which was, in
the course of half an hour, set out for us in the pub-
lic hall. My companion told the crowd that it was
the custom of Christians to thank God for His daily
mercies, and to ask a blessing before a meal ; and
requested them to preserve silence, while I invoked
the Divine blessing on ourselves and the poor de-
luded heathen by whom we were surrounded. They
remained in deep and attentive silence during the
time. We were supplied with wooden chop-sticks,
and we took our dinner from dishes of purely Chinese
composition, consisting of boiled rice, ducks' eggs,
arid a boiled mixture of cabbage, oysters, and vermi-
celli. A handkerchief served as a table-cloth, and our
host brought each of us a basin of water to wash our
hands after the repast. We offered some money in
return for the meal ; but both Lin gnew, and the
neighbours who stood around us, stoutly refused to
accept any payment, and waved their hands at the
unreasonableness of our proposal. He afterwards ac-
cepted Mr. Pohlman's invitation to return our visit on
G G
450 TESTIMONY IN OTHER VILLAGES.
the following Sabbath, in order to be present at
our religious worship, and to hear the Missionaries
preach about Jesus Christ. This engagement he ac-
cordingly fulfilled on the next Sunday, accompanied
by two of his neighbours, all dressed out in their
best holiday clothes. Respecting the population of
their village, they could give us no definite in-
formation, except the fact that it contained one
hundred and eighty family messes, which they said
would probably make it amount to one thousand
persons.
On our return we put similar questions concerning
infanticide to the villagers at Chan-chew-hwa, and inva-
riably obtained, in reply, a confirmation of the previous
information supplied to us respecting its general
prevalence. The average number of females put to
death in the several villages was generally stated to
amount to the proportion of one-half. While we were
questioning one old man, the crowd, unable to com-
prehend the drift or object of our inquiries, were
greatly amused, and indulged in a little pleasantry,
saying that we were fortune-tellers, and were going
to tell the old man's fate. They afterwards be-
came more reserved in their communications, sus-
pecting that we were employed as spies by the
Mandarins. They soon, however, resumed their
friendly and communicative manner ; and as we
prepared to take our departure, they urged us to
remain to partake of food, and to hold conversation
with them.
The same confessions as to the proportion of female
infants murdered after birth were made in another
village named O-ne ; but none of the inhabitants
CASE OF ATTEMPTED INFANTICIDE. 451
were willing to confess that they themselves had per-
petrated infanticide, though they testified to its uni-
versal prevalence around them.
The same facts were corroborated by the evidence
of several Chinese in the city,* the inhabitants of
which, though not so universally given to the practice
as the villagers, were by no means free from the evil.
Some respectable natives spoke of its prevalence, not
only in the villages, but also in the city, to an awful
extent, even saying that one-half of the female infants
of the poor within the city were put to death by their
inhuman parents. The real cause of this horrible
custom is to be found, partly in the extreme poverty
of the people, and partly in the unenlightened state
of their conscience, which fails to realize the flagrant
enormity of a social crime, with which their minds
have been long familiarized, and by which their moral
perceptions have become blunted.
* I was furnished with the following fact by Captain Collinson,
R.N. C.B. of the "Plover" sloop-of-war, recently engaged in the survey
of the Coast of China, who has kindly given me his authority for
its publication. On a little point of shore, near the city of Tung-
shan, on the coast of Fokeen, about half way between Amoy and
Namoa, a Chinese boat, with two men and three women, approached
that part of the beach in which some of his party were engaged in
their surveying operations. The Chinese brought with them four
infants, and proceeded to dig two pits in the sand, in which they
were about to bury the four infants alive, till a sailor and a boy,
assisting Captain Collinson (who was at some little distance), suc-
ceeded in driving them away from the spot. Captain Collinson
watched the Chinese with his telescope, as they proceeded with the
infants around a headland to some other point, where they would be
free from interruption in their work of cruelty.
GG2
452 DEGRADATION "OF FEMALE SEX.
The dreadful effects on society of this evil are obvious
to every visitor of the rural hamlets, where the most
cursory investigation reveals the small proportion of
female inhabitants. The more disastrous consequences
of female infanticide, and of the paucity of women
occasioned thereby, may easily be imagined ; but
their recital cannot be permitted to offend the eye of
the reader.
It is easy to account for the prevalence of this idea
of misfortune and calamity in having female children,
and being without sons. The explanation is found in
the following facts. 1. Sons are the support and com-
fort of their parents in adversity and old age. A Chi-
nese, whose sons are in prosperous circumstances, gene-
rally ceases from labouring for his subsistence after he
has attained the age of fifty, the sons contributing to
support their parent in honourable ease. 2. Daughters,
at the age of sixteen, are generally married into
another family ; on which occasion, however, a sum of
money is paid to the parents by the husband, virtually
as a matter of purchase, but ostensibly for the purpose
of refunding the expense of a wife's support from
infancy. 3. Daughters, when married, are no longer
considered as a part of the family, and assume their
husband's surname ; so that they are frequently omitted
by parents in the enumeration of their children,
and are merely regarded as secondary relations.
4. Daughters afford no hope of preserving the family-
name of the father, and of performing the funeral
rites and other sacrificial offerings to the spirits
of their ancestors. 5. The general degradation
and comparative uselessness of females are con-
sidered as offering no adequate compensation for
MISFORTUNE OF FEMALE OFFSPRING. 453
the expense of their nurture and support. The
poor villager, who had eight daughters and no
sons, might naturally, in such a state of public opi-
nion, deem himself very unfortunate, in the absence
of a belief in the wisdom and goodness of a directing
Providence.
CHAPTER XXXI.
DAILY INCIDENTS AT AMOY, CONTINUED.
CHINESE MISSIONARY MEETING CELEBRATION OF THE FEAST
OF LANTERNS A GIANT SPECIMEN OF PYROTECHNIC SKILL
CESSATION OF HOLIDAYS, AND GENERAL RESUMPTION OF
BUSINESS THE QUESTION OF THE ANCESTRAL TABLET
DISCUSSED CHINESE BIBLE-CLASS TOPICS OF MISSIONARY
SERMONS ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATIONS OF CHINESE HEARERS
INDIRECT PERSECUTION OF A RELIGIOUS INQUIRER.
FEB. 2d. This being the first Monday in the month,
the monthly Missionary meeting, which had been
established in the previous month, was held for the
benefit of the Chinese Catechumens. The six Missio-
naries, their native teachers and domestics, with a
few neighbours, amounting altogether to about thirty
persons, assembled in the house of one of the Missio-
naries. The Missionary who presided commenced
the proceedings with a prayer in Chinese, and then
made a few remarks, intended as a comment on a
portion of Scripture, Acts xiii. 42 to end. Tan seen-
sang then read from a MS., which had been carefully
prepared with the previous help of one of the Missio-
naries, a statement of the character and objects of their
assembling together. Some maps, and representa-
tions of the sun, moon, and planets, were hung upon the
wall, or lay on the table, to which continual reference
was made. His range of topics embraced, l.The object
CHINESE MISSIONARY MEETING. 455
of this Missionary meeting ; 2. The time and circum-
stances of its institution ; 3. A brief historical sketch
of Protestant Missions in China. The object of the
meeting he stated to be the offering up of prayer for
their own conversion, and that of the whole world.
In reference to the time of its institution, he said, that
about sixty years ago some Christians in England,
deeply impressed with the importance of propagating
the Gospel of Jesus Christ, met together, and agreed
to set apart the first Monday in every month for
prayer for the Divine blessing on the Missionary work.
This monthly meeting had since been generally
adopted among Christians in England and America.
Till the present time the Chinese had been without
the privilege of this Missionary meeting. But the
Gospel everywhere possessed the same value and
importance. The Chinese could only obtain salvation
in the same way as the people of other nations. On
this account the Missionary meeting was now esta-
blished also at Amoy. In reference to past Missionary
efforts among the Chinese, he asserted that it was not
because the doctrines of Jesus were not equally
necessary for the Chinese that they had not been
diffused abroad throughout China, but because the
Missionaries had been so few in number. Formerly,
the Emperor and the Mandarins forbade Missionaries
from entering the Central Kingdom. In 1807, A.D.
Morrison came to Canton, and was obliged to live in
privacy to avoid observation ; while Amoy, Foo-chow,
Ningpo, Chusan, and Shanghai, were shut out from
the light. But now, relying upon the aid of the
Almighty and the Spirit of Jesus, the Missionaries
had been during four years promulgating the truths
456 MISSIONARY MAP OF THE WORLD.
of Christianity; and they cherished the hope, that
the doctrines of the Gospel would continue to be more
widely diffused, till all mankind should hear, repent,
believe, and be saved.
A prayer was then offered by another Missionary,
in Chinese, after which Lin seen-sang read a paper
previously composed, on the spread of the Gospel by
Missionary operations in the islands of the South Sea.
He described the former condition of the inhabitants,
who were idolaters, infanticides, murderers, and
licentious ; and contrasted with their former state
their present altered character as a Christian people,
their holy indignation at idol-worship, and their rapid
growth in civilization. Many anecdotes and facts,
illustrative of their former and present state, were
extracted and translated for the occasion from the
published account of the lamented Williams.
Tan seen-sang again read a paper, containing a
lecture on the Missionary map of the world, which
was exposed to their view, and frequently offered
some comments of his own in the colloquial style. He
first drew attention to the spherical form of the earth,
of which the mechanical representation of the solar
system, lying on a table, enabled them to form a tole-
rably correct idea. Then followed a description of
the four great divisions of the earth, and of the prin-
cipal nations in each, in reference to their size, popu-
lation, and religion. Then followed more minute
details of the religious systems professed by each.
He then proceeded to state that the Bible declared
that all these false religions were to be abolished, and
that every knee would bow and confess Jesus to be
the true Saviour, the Lord of all. For the consum-
FEAST OF LANTERNS. 457
mation of this great end, Christ had commanded His
disciples to go into the whole world, and preach the
Gospel to every creature. In accordance with this
command, Missionaries had gone out from Christian
lands into almost every part of the world ; and for
four years past had been labouring in Amoy. But
the labours of Missionaries were confined to the five
free ports of China, and they were prevented from
going into the interior of the country. He then
dwelt on his own obligation, and that of his country-
men who were present, to receive the Gospel, and to
carry it into every part of the interior, until the
400 millions who use the Chinese written character
(i.e. China and its dependencies, Corea, Japan, Cochin-
China, &c.), should all be converted to Christianity.
The meeting was closed with a prayer in Chinese, by
another of the Missionary brethren.
Feb. IQth On this day the feast of lanterns was
celebrated, which is the termination of the new-year
holidays. Previously to our going into the streets, to
view the long row of illuminated shops and dwellings,
a rustic, from the opposite mainland of Lam-tai-boo,
paid Mr. Pohlman a visit, having received an invita-
tion some weeks before in his native village. Some
idols, and among them those of the three precious
Budhs, which I had collected as specimens, were lying
in that part of the room in which he was seated.
Fearing that he would throw them down, I requested
him to take care not to break them. He mistook my
meaning, and immediately proceeded to worship them
most reverently, bowing his head and folding hands to
each of the idols, till roused to a sense of his folly by
the laughter of the Chinese who were present. The
458 UNIVERSAL SIGNS OF HOLIDAY.
poor man appeared somewhat surprised and asto-
nished at the levity of his countrymen ; but his
enthusiasm for idolatry had evidently received an un-
expected shock, for he soon joined in the laughter
himself.
Towards sunset we explored the various streets and
places of public resort, amid a continual discharge of
fireworks, the frequent assemblage of play-actors, the
noise of gambling-tables, the universal signs of feasting
in the families, and a profuse display of lanterns of
every imaginable pattern and design. Some were
made of glass, others of glue, and some of paper, in
the shape of birds, beasts, fishes, and dragons ; or so
arranged as to be carried round by a constant current
of rarefied air, and representing different kinds of ani-
mals and junks in motion. In all the principal tem-
ples, and in the houses of rich men, huge candles were
to be seen, some of which were two feet in circum-
ference. Bands of pipers, with sounds of gongs and
cymbals, were to be heard in all directions. The
principal table in each temple was covered with
large cakes, made in the form of a tortoise, the sacred
symbol of Budhist mythology. The burghers of each
of the eighteen wards of the city levied a contribution
of money, to defray the expenses of fire-works in their
respective districts, and vied with each other in im-
parting a grandeur of scale and an imposing effect to
the occasion. Rich men also defrayed, from their perso-
nal resources, the expense of some pyrotechnic design,
which was exhibited in the vicinity of their own dwell-
ings. We entered the south gate of the citadel too late
to see a large firework, representing a lion, which had
been just discharged before the admiral's palace ; and
BONFIRES AND PAGEANTRY. 459
were only in time to meet the crowds moving off to
the scene of the next similar display. After retracing
our steps from the military parade-ground, abutting
on the eastern wall, we passed through the western
gate into the outer city. On our way we came to seve-
ral immense bonfires, the flames of which rose several
feet in height. The crowd were eagerly engaged in
leaping across the fire, in order to obtain the benefit
of good luck, amid the sound of gongs and the
plaudits of the people. We were attracted, by sounds
of music, to an open space in front of a neighbouring
temple, where there were several other such heaps of
wood, coal, and other materials, ready to be lighted.
Here the crowd rapidly increased, being from time to
time joined by a procession of additional pipers, with
lofty poles hung round with flaming crackers. Here
the usual signs of feasting and merriment were to be
seen. In a gallery erected near the temple, some
Chinese ladies were sitting, to view the pageantry and
fireworks below. Some idols, and the usual apparatus
of incense and offerings, lay on a table in the open
space of ground. We sat for several minutes on this
table, till at length two chairs were brought to us
through the crowd from some adjoining houses, and
we were politely invited to sit on them. We were
about to decline the civility, and to keep our former
seat, till a Chinese acquaintance whispered to us that
we had better accept the offer, as perhaps the feelings
of his countrymen would be shocked at our sitting on
the idol-table. The crowd then formed a little circle
around us, and listened to my companion, as he ex-
plained to them the object of Missionaries in coming
to China, and the nature of their message to the souls
460 A MISSIONARY ADDRESS.
of the Chinese. A few of the more ignorant, finding
that we were professedly devout men, wanted us to
salute and worship the idols. This of course drew on
them the remonstrance of the Missionary, and the
laughter of some of their own countrymen, who had
previously become acquainted with the objections of
Christians to idol-worship. Soon afterwards we were
joined by another Missionary and his wife, the former
of whom delivered an address to a few tens of people
who were collected around us. The Missionary's wife
made her way to a part of the temple, where the
women were separated off within an enclosure. As
soon as they discovered her, they at first affected to
be afraid ; but afterwards, on her addressing them in
the local dialect of Amoy, they became very friendly,
and she remained for some time among them.
We proceeded from this spot about half a mile, to
another open space before a temple. A number of
persons conducted us on our way, and continued to
ask many questions during the time. Here the same
array of lanterns and crowds of people were again to
be seen. Preparations were soon observed for dis-
charging a large firework, which formed a giant speci-
men of pyrotechnic skill. A long pole was erected, fifty
feet in height, hung round with cases of rockets and
other combustibles. On its being lighted at the bot-
tom, there was a rapid succession of squibs, roman-
candles, guns, and rockets, which illuminated the sky
to a great distance with their igneous masses. After
this minor display, a house suddenly dropped with its
inmates from one of the arms of the pole. The sur-
rounding fireworks, far and near, were so arranged as
to pour in their shot and completely riddle the house.
GIANT SPECIMEN OF PYROTECHNIC SKILL. 461
A volley of lesser combustibles suddenly terminated
in a beautiful cluster of grapes, which lasted for some
time, and shed a deep blue light on the houses and
walls for some distance around. A shower of golden
rain was shortly after followed by an umbrella of fire,
which suddenly flew open, amid the loud cheers of the
spectators. Soon after, a human figure was impe-
tuously carried round in a circular motion, and re-
ceived the discharge of the surrounding crackers. An
oblique shower of gold and silver rain followed ; after
which some rockets pursued their flaming track along
the air, in a horizontal direction. These were suc-
ceeded by rockets shot perpendicularly to a great
height. The display occupied a quarter of an hour,
and was concluded amid the boisterous plaudits of old
and young.
A general movement now took place among the
crowd to the temple which we had first visited ; and
we moved thither ourselves, in the hope of seeing a
celebrated lion-firework, of an expensive kind. But
as we afterwards discovered that it was not to be dis-
charged till after midnight in the third watch, and
the crowd was also gradually reinforced in large
numbers from the other wards, we deemed it advisa-
ble to retrace our steps, and arrived at our residence
at 11 P.M. In the streets through which we passed,
every temple was gaudily illuminated, and the ser-
vices of the priests, both of the Taou and the Budhist
sects, appeared to be in high request. In some parts
a phantasmagoria was exhibited, in which acting
figures were represented by means of a magic lantern,
on a transparent substance resembling tissue paper.
The actions of the figures, even to the motion of the
462 GENERAL RESUMPTION OF BUSINESS.
hand and the nod of the head, were accommodated
to the speeches delivered by a concealed spokesman,
who directed the whole apparatus behind the scene.
In one street a theatrical stage, with its players acting
some scene of imperial grandeur, crossed our way ;
and we had no alternative but that of creeping on our
hands and knees, for a distance of twenty yards, on the
pavement under the stage to the other end. Here
several friendly hands were held out to assist us in
regaining our erect position.
After this national feast of lanterns, the ordinary
business of the people, which, since the first day of the
new year, had only been partially resumed, now
recommenced in earnest. The penalties against gam-
bling thus far relaxed, either by law or by that which
in China is equivalent, the prescriptive right of cus-
tom, were now supposed to regain their force ; and
the idol crowds of pleasure-hunters heartily re-
engaged in the bustle and toil of daily business with
renewed energy and industry. From this time the
idle show of pageantry terminated, and every thing
wore the absorbing appearance of gain and com-
merce.
Feb. llth At the close of a religious service, held
by the Missionaries, two questions were submitted for
discussion, in reference to the putting away of idols
and ancestral tablets from the house of every candi-
date for Christian baptism ; viz.
1. Could an open renunciation of idol- worship,
although the idols remained in the house out of com-
pliance with the superstitious fears of relatives, be
deemed a sufficient test of Christian sincerity ?
2. How far was retaining the ancestral tablets per-
THE QUESTION OF THE ANCESTRAL TABLET. 463
missible, as mere tokens of respect for the departed
dead, without any worship being offered?
In regard to the first question, it was the unanimous
opinion of the Missionaries, that wherever the convert
had authority in a household, it must be made a sine
qua non that idol-worship not only be renounced, but
that the emblems of idolatry be destroyed or expelled
from the house.
One of the two old men who were about to re-
ceive baptism, although the head of a family, was
virtually destitute of his proper authority, from the
wickedness of his adopted son, and the assumption of
his sister-in-law and other relatives. He had, there-
fore, decided on leaving the house which they occu-
pied in common, and removing, with his wife and
children, to another house, where he would have the
power of abolishing idols. This was deemed sufficient.
In regard to the second question there was more
difficulty, although on this also there was unanimity of
opinion, in making it incumbent on every candidate
for baptism, not only to renounce the worship of the
ancestral tablet, but also to remove it out of sight, and
away from its usual place of juxta-position with the
idol.
The following facts will afford help to the reader
in understanding this subject. Popular superstition
assigns three souls to each person ; one of which, at
death, passes into the world of spirits. The second
dwells at the tomb of the deceased, into which, as its
new abode, it is formally inducted at the funeral, by
the ceremony of drawing some little ribbons, or a
flag, at the end of a stick. The third is supposed to
464 RELIGIOUS WORSHIP OF THE TABLET.
occupy the ancestral tablet. This consists of an
erect wooden plane, about twelve inches in height,
fixed on a stand, and ornamentally inscribed with
the names and date of the deceased. It is carefully
treasured in some common temple of ancestors, in
those cases in which a family possesses sufficient
wealth to have such a temple, or in the family-dwell-
ing, in the case of poorer families. In the latter case
it is placed in juxta-position with the household gods,
and receives the offerings of incense, eatables, gilt-
paper money, and miniature garments, in common
with the idols. One of the first acts of promoted
scholars is to revisit these symbols of ancestral worth,
and to adore the spirits of the departed dead. The
worship of the ancestral tablet is the only custom of a
strictly religious kind universally observed by the
literary, as well as by the uneducated portion of the
community. It forms also one of the most formidable
barriers to the progress of the Missionary work. The
Jesuits foresaw this difficulty in former times, and en-
deavoured to render the transition from Confucianism
to Christianity as easy as possible, by tolerating the
adoration of these tablets as a purely civil rite, desti-
tute of religious meaning. The Dominican and Fran-
ciscan Missionaries, who subsequently arrived from
Rome, exposed the flagrant inconsistency of amalga-
mating Paganism with Christianity. The flame of
discord raged so fiercely for nearly a century, between
the rival sects of Popish Missionaries in China, that
successive legates were sent from Rome to allay their
feuds, and mediate between the conflicting parties.
One Pope reversed the decrees of his predecessor ; and
DISSENSIONS OF POPISH MISSIONARIES. 465
his bulls were again, in turn, stultified by his successor.
At last the influence of the Jesuits at the Papal court
failed to avert the unfavourable decision of the Pontiff.
They now excited the emperor Kang-he to resent the
supposed interference of the Pope with his own impe-
rial authority in the government of China. All the
Romish Missionaries, who would not sanction the re-
tention of the ancestral tablet, were ordered to quit
the country. The Papal legate was insulted and im-
prisoned. The Jesuits were his appointed keepers at
Macao : and as long as the name of Cardinal de Tour-
non stands on the page of history, so long will the un-
paralleled dissensions of the Romish Missionaries in
China belie the pretensions, and expose the theory, of
a visible unity of the universal church centering in a
sovereign Pontiff enthroned on the Seven Hills. Kang-
he's successor, Yung-ching, who commenced his reign
A.D. 1722, deemed it expedient to terminate these
dissensions by banishing all the sects of Romanist
Missionaries alike. Thus, after nearly a century of
religious feuds, they were expelled from the scenes of
their former influence and power : and the native
flocks of Roman-Catholic converts have since been
sustained by European Missionaries entering the
country in disguise.
The propriety of permitting the retention of ances-
tral tablets, as mere memorials of the dead, was, on
this occasion, decided against, for the following reasons.
1. Even among the old Romish Missionaries only
the Jesuits would allow the worship of the tablet to
be retained as a mere civil rite.
2. The Chinese pay to the tablet more reverence
and worship than to the idol.
3. Its retention would open a door for the too easy
H H
466 REASONS FOR PROHIBITING THE TABLETS.
admission of converts, and the admixture of pagan
superstitions with Christian doctrines.
4. Its retention would also afford an occasion to the
heathen Chinese of taunting the converts with insin-
cerity, their usual weapon of offence.
5. The Chinese, after hearing the declarations of
Missionaries on the sin of idolatry, frequently ask
questions respecting the lawfulness of worshipping
ancestral tablets, as if a close connexion bound the
two acts together in their mind.
6. The unsparing denunciations of the Old Testa-
ment against every species of idolatry the breaking of
idolatrous relics in pieces the destruction of the very
trees of the groves the beating to powder of the ma-
terials desecrated by idol-worship allow no compro-
mise with this superstition, which of all others is most
firmly enthroned in the national mind the demono-
latry of ancestors.
Neither of the two old men adverted to are placed
in any difficulty in the matter of the tablets, as Amoy
is not their native place, and the ancestral tablets are,
therefore, in the keeping of other relatives at a
distance.
Sunday, Feb. 15th One of my Missionary friends
held his usual Sabbath-evening meeting, for family
worship and examination of his Chinese neighbours
and domestics in the subjects of instruction, which
they had heard at the Mission chapels and the hospital
during the day. Only four persons attended, which
was about half the number usually present. The
object of the meeting was, to exercise their minds, by
friendly conversation, on the religious topics brought
before them in the different Missionary sermons, and
to invite them freely to state their difficulties and ob-
CHINESE BIBLE-CLASS. 467
jections. In order to give an idea of the character of
the Missionary addresses of the nature of the Scrip-
tural subjects discussed of the capacity of the Chi-
nese for religious instruction and of the beneficial
influence likely to be exerted over them by such
friendly and familiar intercourse a short sketch is
given of the proceedings on the occasion of this even-
ing's family service. After a short address, the Mis-
sionary who conducted the meeting requested a youth,
named Ek-ha, a servant in his house, to explain the
subjects which he had heard in asermon at nine A.M.
In reply, he proceeded to give an analysis of the dis-
course, which was in form, and often in words, strictly
accurate. The text was, " Behold the Lamb of God,
which taketh away the sins of the world." He said,
that the preacher's address referred, I. To the reasons
why our Saviour is called a lamb. 1. On account of
His meekness and submission ; 2. on account of His
purity ; and 3. on account of his becoming a ransom
for sin ; more particularly stating the method of the
Old-Testament sacrifices for sin, all of which had
reference to the one great sacrifice of Jesus on the
cross. He said that the preacher adverted, II. To the
duty of mankind in beholding the Lamb of God. This
was illustrated by the figure of a feast, with a table
spread out and bountifully provided with food. The
guests are invited to come : they look, but this does
not satisfy ; they must partake. So Christ must be
received by faith ; He must not only be looked upon,
but be received into the heart, and believed on to the
salvation of the soul. This was stated with much
readiness and ease of manner.
The others afterwards volunteered their simple ex-
HH2
468 TOPICS OF MISSIONARY ADDRESSES.
planation of what they had heard, evidently interested
in the subject, and sometimes correcting each other
without the slightest embarrassment. Chan-ha, an
adult servant, gave an account of a sermon which
he had heard at 10 A.M., on the subject of regene-
ration, founded on the coming of Nicodemus to
Jesus by night. Ching-han, also, a medical student,
explained his recollections of the same sermon ; each
of them alternating their description of the doctrines
which they had heard. They stated that the condi-
tion of the soul before conversion was that of death ;
and that the change of the soul on its conversion re-
sembled that of a new birth. They then referred to
the illustrations of the preacher taken from the birth
of an infant ; its new sensations, breathing, pulse, and
the great care of the parent. They then dwelt on the
more marked character of these evidences of life in a
new-born soul, which undergoes so radical a change in
its affections- and desires. One of them said, in reply
to the questions of the Missionary, that conversion of
the soul was a gradual change. His views were cor-
rected, and the distinction was explained to him
between the terms justification and sanctification ;
the former being the forgiveness of sin by God, as the
immediate consequence of a living faith in Christ;
the latter being a gradual and progressive renevval
of the heart by divine grace.
They afterwards gave an account of a sermon which
they had heard at 3 P.M. from Luke xii. 15 21, on
the parable of the rich fool. Particular allusion was
made to that portion of it, which stated a man's life
not to "consist in the abundance of the things which
he possesseth." Life denoted happiness ; and true
INDIRECT PERSECUTION OF A RELIGIOUS INQUIRER. 469
happiness was not to be found in wealth. They were
asked if perfect happiness were to be found in this
world. Chan-ha said, that happiness was progres-
sive, and that a Christian's happiness would be com-
plete in heaven, volunteering an illustration of his
own from the literary degrees, and comparing earthly
happiness to the degrees of sew-tsai and keu-jin, and
the happiness of heaven to the higher degree of
tsin-sze.
Hok-ha, the rope-maker, on being questioned, re-
plied, with a sorrowful look, that he had not attended
any religious service during the day. He feelingly
alluded to his uncle's persecution, and the taunts of
his neighbours concerning his connexion with foreign-
ers. His uncle threatened him with discharge from
his employment unless he worked during the whole
Sabbath, and desisted from attending the Missionary
services. The neighbours said that he preferred the
foreigners to the Chinese, and that he was a secret
informer to the strangers. He was exhorted by the
Missionary to lay his troubles before his heavenly
Father; but he continued to dwell on the conse-
quences to himself, as well as to his mother and his
wife, of disobedience to his uncle's commands. He
was much excited, but gradually grew calm under
the kind advice and solace which he received. He
said that he hoped sometimes that he loved Jesus: he
often prayed to Him ; but he felt that he was not
prepared for heaven, because he had not received the
" new heart."
A suitable prayer closed the meeting, the Chinese
all kneeling.
CHAPTER XXXII.
MANDARINS' ENTERTAINMENT TO THE MISSIONARIES.
REVISED TRANSLATION OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES PROCEED-
INGS AT A MEETING OF THE LOCAL TRANSLATION COM-
MITTEE SPECIAL ENTERTAINMENT TO THE MISSIONARY
BODY, GIVEN JOINTLY BY THE FIVE HIGH MANDARINS OF
AMOY PREVIOUS INVITATION AND ARRANGEMENTS CERE-
MONIES OF ENTRANCE AND RECEPTION ETIQUETTE OF
PRECEDENCE DETAILS OF FEAST TOPICS OF CONVERSA-
TION CEREMONIES OF DEPARTURE THE SECRET MOTIVES
WHICH PROMPTED THESE ATTENTIONS.
FEB. 19th A new translation, or rather a revision of
former translations, of the Holy Scriptures into Chi-
nese, occupied, at this time, a considerable share of
attention. The whole of the Chinese version of the
New Testament had been divided into a certain num-
ber of parts, which were assigned for revision to the
Missionaries at the various Stations in China. The
Gospel of St. Mark, and the Epistles of St. Paul to
the Corinthians, were apportioned to the Missionaries
at Amoy. The revised translation made at each Mis-
sionary Station was to be sent around to the Missio-
naries at the other Stations, for their approval or cor-
rection. The revised translation of the whole New
Testament, with the suggested corrections of the Mis-
sionaries at the various Stations, were to be sent to
some place of general meeting, probably Hong Kong ;
REVISED TRANSLATION OF HOLY SCRIPTURES. 471
where delegates, one from each Station, would be
entrusted with the important task of final revision.
The translation ultimately agreed upon was to be
considered a standard edition, possessing the general
sanction of the whole body of Protestant Missionaries
in China.*
On this and the following days I was 'present at the
local Committee of Translation, from half-past eleven
A. M. to one P. M. The three most experienced Mis-
sionaries were present, with their Chinese teachers,
one of whom was a literary graduate. A few old men
from among the regular attendants on divine worship
were also generally present, and sometimes entered
into conversation, when any topics of discussion arose.
After prayer for the help of the Holy Spirit on the
work of making known the word of God in the
Chinese tongue, the work of revision commenced at
1 Cor. iii. 5., about twelve verses being accomplished
on each day. The original Greek text was first con-
sulted, and rendered into its close and literal meaning.
Medhurst's Chinese version was then read aloud ;
and being considered, on the whole, as the best of the
previous translations, was made the ground-work of
the new undertaking. Reference was afterwards made
to Morrison's Chinese version, and occasionally, also,
* The Committee of the British and Foreign Bible Society have
given, in their Report for 1844, a detailed statement on the subject
of this revision: see pp. cviii. cxi. On receiving the intelli-
gence of the probable termination of the revision about the month of
June 1847, they have more recently made a grant of ,1000 towards
a cylinder press, an additional quantity of Chinese type, and the other
expenses consequent on printing the revised version of the Chinese
Scriptures: see Report for 1847, p. ex.
472 PREVIOUS VERSIONS.
to that of Gutzlaff, both versions being read aloud
when there was any important variation. The Mis-
sionaries, after discussing the passage amongst them-
selves, and conveying orally the meaning of the sacred
text to the Chinese teachers, proceeded to receive the
opinion of the latter on its idiomatic expression in the
written language. On such occasions, it was some-
times painful to me to witness the manner in which
Morrison's renderings were criticised by the Chinese,
the most ridiculous misconceptions being conveyed to
their minds by the literal and unidiomatic character
of that version. Medhurst's version appeared to be a
more free translation than that of Morrison, being
sometimes paraphrastic, but generally idiomatic. It
was esteemed by the natives present as greatly supe-
rior, in its style of Chinese composition, to the other
versions extant. Gutzlaff's version was considered an
approximation to that of Medhurst, on which it was
intended, however, to be an improvement, by being
more literal. The teachers generally shook their
heads as the last two versions were read, and appeared
almost invariably to prefer that of Medhurst, in which,
however, some emendations and corrections were oc-
casionally made. These were noted down by the
teachers, and a fair copy was afterwards made out, at
their leisure, of the renderings, as finally approved and
adopted by consent of the whole party.
In the evening all the Missionaries proceeded in
company to the te-tok's palace within the citadel,
where the five high Mandarins of Amoy jointly gave
a special entertainment to the Missionary body.
Hoo Chun, a tax-gatherer, who also acted in the
capacity of confidential agent to the Mandarins, paid
ENTERTAINMENT BY THE "MANDARINS. 473
us two or three previous visits, in order to arrange
the day and hour according to our mutual conve-
nience, and also to ascertain our wishes in regard to
the detailed arrangements of the entertainment. One
argument which he employed to induce us to accept
the invitation was, that our minds should not be
shocked by any impropriety or excess ; and that, if we
wished it, no wine should be placed on the table.
Hoo Chun made one of these visits as we were sitting
down to dinner, and accepted our invitation to par-
take of the meal. According to our usual custom,
after grace was said, each of us repeated a text of
Scripture. At the close of this, Hoo Chun, evidently
understanding the nature of our words, unexpectedly
closed his hands, and in a low voice offered up the
simple words, To seay Shang-te, " Many thanks, Al-
mighty." In the course of subsequent conversation,
he frequently expressed a hope that the Missionaries
would make him acquainted with any request or
favour which they might wish to obtain from the
authorities, as he would manage the matter for them.
At 5 P.M. we passed within the city gate, and
soon arrived at the entrance of the palace, where Hoo
Chun and another officer met us, and ushered us into
a waiting-room. Here we had to wait a few minutes,
while Hoo Chun prepared our Chinese cards, which
we had forgotten to bring with us. They were very
particular in observing these little matters of etiquette,
before our arrival was announced to the great men.
Soon after we were conducted in due state through
the great central folding- doors, which were thrown
open for us to enter. We passed onward, between two
lines of attendants, and through a succession of courts
474 ETIQUETTE OF PRECEDENCE.
and folding-doors, to a flight of steps, at the top of
which four of the Mandarins came out to offer us their
greetings, which latter ceremony they generally per-
formed with both hands. The arrangements for
placing us in the most honourable seats occupied
about five minutes ; at the end of which, the loud
discharge of three guns, and the sonorous cries of
attendants clearing the way, announced the approach
of His Excellency the taou-tai. He soon after arrived
in his sedan at the outer flight of steps, with a com-
pany of guards and attendants, carrying red umbrellas
and the usual insignia of office. All the four officials
went out to receive him as he alighted, and escorted
him into the reception-hall, where he came and shook
hands with us all round. The same ceremony and
etiquette was observed among themselves about the
honourable seats, till at last each took his place- ac-
cording to his official precedence. They were all
attired in costly sable furs, and wore a knob on their
caps, and various embroidered badges on their bosom,
indicative of their respective ranks. The te-tok and
hai-hong alone wore a peacock's feather, which is a
kind of honorary decoration, resembling the Order of
the Bath. The te-tok had been recently restored to
his honours, and now wore a red knob or button on
his cap, as a military officer of the first class. Great
attention was paid by the rest to the two Manchow
officers, especially to the taou-tai, who alone, with the
admiral, enjoys the title of tajin, or " His Excellency ;"
the others being styled ta laou-yay, or " His Lordship."
After some conversation among themselves about the
south-west wind and the weather, tea and pipes were
brought in, and each was soon on familiar terms with
DETAILS OF FEAST. 475
his neighbour. My seat was next to that of the taou-
tai, who took the opportunity of thanking me for a
recent present of maps. The tables were soon after
arranged for the reception of the materials of a feast.
When the announcement was made that every thing
was ready, we had to spend another period of five
minutes in arranging our seats, till at last we resigned
ourselves to the disposal of our hosts, which had
the effect of shortening the time of our standing. Two
English Missionaries were placed as a president and
a vice-president at each end of the table, the rest
of the foreign guests occupying the seats immediately
on the right and left of the president and the vice-
president. Our hosts themselves took the interme-
diate places in the centre of the table, which are
esteemed by the Chinese the lowest seats in their
guest-chambers. The middle of the table contained
little heaps of cakes, pickles, preserved fruits, and
sweetmeats. Some chop-sticks were placed before us,
together with European spoons, knives, and forks,
which they had borrowed for the occasion. Our little
bowls and saucers were frequently changed, as stews
and soups of birds'-nests, pork, fish, sharks'-fins, ducks,
and marrow-bones, were served in rapid succession.
Then followed roasted pigs, and a substantial joint of
mutton, which they had provided lest we should be
unable to make a meal of their Chinese and Manchow
dishes. When we relaxed our endeavours to do
honour to their hospitality, they would unceremo-
niously dip their chop-sticks, just issuing from their
own mouths, into one of the dishes, and plentifully
help us with the contents into our basins. After
about twenty dishes, the serving of which lasted nearly
476 TOPICS OF CONVERSATION.
two hours, rice was placed before us, as a signal that
the festivities were nearly at an end. They frequently
drank a small cup of fermented beverage made from
rice, with which they repeatedly challenged each
other. On each occasion, after swallowing the whole
contents, they presented the cup in an inverted posi-
tion, to show that they had duly honoured the chal-
lenge. Small glasses of port wine were placed before
ourselves, which some of our number, being rigid
professors of the principles of total abstinence, omitted
to drink. This led to our hosts making several in-
quiries ; and, in explanation, they were informed of the
origin of Temperance Societies. In reply to their
questions, it was stated that total abstinence from
wine was not deemed an essential point of our reli-
gion, but that each Christian judged for himself in the
matter, carefully guarding against excess and abuse of
God's blessings. Hereupon the Mandarins exchanged
some sly looks among themselves, and amused each
other with some jokes at the expense of the Budhist
priests, who, they said, were very strict in abstaining
from flesh and wine during the day, but sometimes
contrived to overcome their scruples on these points
during the night.
The dishes were soon cleared away, and the red
varnished tables were wiped with some paper nap-
kins of the same kind as those placed for our own
use. Their necklaces with their aromatic scent,
which had been laid aside during the meal, were now
brought and replaced over their necks by some
attendants, about one hundred of whom stood around
us. The cham-hoo, being the only officer who under-
stood the local dialect, bore a principal part in the
THEIR QUESTIONS. 477
conversation, and generally interpreted to the others ;
our friend Chun hoo standing by, and sometimes
volunteering to offer some remarks. The te-tok
ordered his English barometer, which he had pur-
chased from a Chinese at a high price, to be placed
on the table before him ; and he now seemed greatly
annoyed at its supposed failure, as it had not pre-
dicted the change of wind which took place during
the day. The same functionary expatiated on the
dangers of the sea, to which the wife of one of the
Missionaries present was exposed in her voyage to
Europe, in ill health ; among which he mentioned
the existence of ice-bergs, some of which he had
seen in his cruises off the northern coast of China.
Concerning the cause of ice-bergs, he advanced some
strange theories, and stated that he was of opinion
that they were nothing else than frozen masses of sea-
water, and that the waves, when dashing aloft in a
storm, were suddenly frozen into a heap ! The hai-
quan also wished to show us his incipient knowledge of
English, by trying to pronounce our English numerals
up to ten. He asked several questions about Russia,
France, England, and America, especially inquiring
whether the English and Americans had the same
written character as well as the same spoken lan-
guage. He also wished to know whether the English
could speak the Mongol-Tartar language, or v the
Russian language ; the latter question being probably
suggested by his recollections of the Russian linguists
at Peking. Tea and tobacco were again brought, and
we were soon enveloped in clouds of smoke. They
all evinced great refinement and politeness of manner
towards each other, and appeared to be on terms of
478 CEREMONIES OF DEPARTURE.
friendly cordiality among themselves. As they per-
formed their civilities towards each other, the thought,
however, would intrude itself on our minds of the
hollow insincerity and duplicity which lurked beneath
the surface of their polite manners and friendly
bearing. Each lived on the proceeds of extortion
practised on the people ; while each, again, had to
disgorge a portion of his ill-acquired gain to his
superior officer. The taou-tai, a Manchow, was
stationed at Amoy, principally as a spy on the pro-
ceedings of the other officers, and as a check against
the influence of those of purely Chinese descent. He
had scarcely any duties to perform, but reaped a rich
revenue from his connivance at the extortions of the
subordinate authorities. It was currently reported
among the Chinese at Amoy that he annually received
from the hai-hong, as a douceur, more than double
the salary received from the Government by the
latter. The mode by which this additional sum is
realized receives a ready explanation from the
generally prevalent practice of bribery and sale of
justice.
We took our departure amid many compliments
and apologies ; some of them expressing regret that
they should have given us such a paltry entertain-
ment, and stating their fear that we had eaten nothing.
They accompanied us to the outer court, where the
attendants supplied each of us with a flaming flam-
beau, by the blazing glare of which we passed through
the streets to our home. Ponies, strangely capari-
soned with trappings and bells, were waiting for the
officials in the outer court of the palace. The taou-
tai immediately followed as soon as we had left, as
SECRET MOTIVES OF THESE ATTENTIONS. 479
the three guns and the pipings of musicians quickly
informed our ears. The people in the adjoining
streets gazed on us as we came forth from the pre-
cincts of the palace, and were apparently astonished
by this discovery of the new inroads of foreign
influence on the policy of their rulers. The attentions
which we received were of the most marked character;
no Europeans ever having received similar honour,
who, like ourselves, were not indebted for the dis-
tinction to the fact of their filling official appoint-
ments under the British Government. The principal
motive which prompted these attentions was doubtless
a desire to confer a testimonial of respect on the Mis-
sionaries, although selfish motives may have exerted
their influence in the matter.
In a country like China, where foreigners have in
past times been systematically depreciated by the
ruling authorities, these marks of official respect are
calculated to exert a favourable influence on the
popular disposition towards Missionaries, and to
disarm the native mind of any latent fears of perse-
cution by their rulers, on professing themselves con-
verts to the religion of Western nations.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF AMOY.
EARLY INTERCOURSE WITH EUROPE COMMERCIAL ENTER-
PRISE OF THE PEOPLE CHINESE EMIGRANTS TOPOGRAPHY
OF THE CITY AND ISLAND THE '" WHITE STAG HILL*'-
BOUNDARY REGULATIONS A ROMAN-CATHOLIC VILLAGE
ANOTHER EXPLANATORY EDICT OF RELIGIOUS TOLERATION
ATTEMPTS AT CONCEALMENT BY THE MANDARINS LOCAL
PRIZES FOR LITERARY MERIT LOCAL DIALECT MORAL DE-
GRADATION OF THE PEOPLE MISSIONARY ASPECT OF AMOY.
THE city of Hea-mun, or, as it is commonly called by
foreigners, from a corruption of the final nasal sound
of the local dialect, Amoy, is situated in latitude N.
24 32', and in longitude 118 6' E. Even under the old
system of intercourse with China, Amoy was better
known to Europeans than most cities on the coast.
This circumstance arose partly from the attempt made
in former times, by the East-India Company, to open
a trade with the people ; but principally from the
enterprising spirit of the people themselves, which led
them to settle, for the purposes of commerce, in the
various countries and islands bordering on the China
Sea. At so early a period as A.D. 1676, a ship was
despatched from England to Amoy, with the object of
establishing a factory. This attempt was successful ;
but the trade was afterwards interrupted by the civil
wars which raged in China. In 1680 the Tartars
EARLY INTERCOURSE WITH EUROPEANS. 481
expelled the Chinese from Amoy, and destroyed the
factory of the Company. In 1684 the Tartar gene-
ral, who commanded the district, permitted the fac-
tory to be re-established. In the following year the
Company's residents at Amoy declared, in an official
report, that, " having had five months' experience of
the nature and quality of these people, they could
characterize them no otherwise than as devils in
men's shapes ;" and they further stated, " that to
remain exposed to the rapaciousness of the avaricious
governors was considered as more detrimental than
the trade would be beneficial."* The factory was,
however, continued, till an imperial edict, which
limited the foreign trade to Canton, compelled the
Company's officers to withdraw.
The commercial enterprise of the people is to be
seen in the fact, that Amoy, though possessing only an
estimated population of about 150,000, has three times
as large a number of trading junks as the important
capital of the province itself. The people emigrate
in large numbers to Borneo, Siam, Singapore, Ma-
lacca, Batavia, Samarang, and other places in Java ; to
which parts they resort in the hope of realizing for-
tunes by commerce, and returning to enjoy the fruits
of their industry in their native land. The few who
return are generally poor, and excessively vitiated in
morals. Their turbulent conduct is often a source of
difficulty to the local government ; and, as subjects of
Missionary instruction, they have been generally found
to be far less hopeful than those who have never emi-
grated. A considerable trade exists between Amoy
* Milburn's Oriental Commerce. London, 1813.
I I
482 CHINESE EMIGRANTS.
and the island of Formosa, from which junks arrive
with cargoes of rice, sugar, oil, and groundnuts. From
Shanghai and Ningpo there is an import trade of
cotton, vermicelli, furs, and felt-caps. From Foo-
chow the coasting-junks bring spars and oranges.
Canton supplies cloth, camlet, shoes, and fine manu-
factures. From the Straits of Malacca there is a
large importation of grain, beche-le-mer, Brazil-wood,
and a kind of hard wood for making masts and
anchors. In return for these articles, the people of
Amoy export large quantities of tea, bricks, shoes,
umbrellas, crockery-ware, iron utensils, and, lastly,
idols. During the past year five European or Ameri-
can vessels have left Amoy with Chinese emigrants, as
passengers to the Straits of Malacca. In each vessel
there were between one and two hundred natives,
each of whom paid a fare of ten or twelve dollars.
They are generally huddled together on the deck,
and, unless the vessel makes a rapid passage, have to
suffer great privations. The difficulty of obtaining a
livelihood renders the people willing thus to venture
on the unknown trials of foreign lands. The poor,
who thus emigrate to other countries, generally find
that their hopes are disappointed, and are stated, by the
Missionaries in those parts, to be the most degraded
part of the population. A partial exception exists at
Batavia, where there are several wealthy Chinese, two
or three of whom ride in fine carriages, after Euro-
pean style.
The island of Amoy extends about twelve miles in
length and ten in breadth. It contains one hundred
and thirty-six villages and hamlets ; the population of
the whole island amounting to about 400,000, less than
TOPOGRAPHY. 483
one-half of whom are included in the city. Its geo-
logical formation consists of one continued ridge of
black granite rocks, which, when recently broken, pre-
sent a light grey colour ; but after being exposed for
some time to the atmosphere and rains, resume their
original black appearance. Like a stupendous citadel
of natural formation, a range of towering cliffs, varying
in height, extends over the whole island, leaving, for
the work of tillage, portions of low undulating ground,
between their base and the sea. On the top of the
ridge there are two or three miles of highly cultivated
table-land. In the northern and eastern parts of the
island a few miles of level sandy soil intervene be-
tween the hills and the beach, and yield a supply of
rice, wheat, and vegetables.
The city of Amoy is built in a long straggling form,
and occupies a promontory, so as to be surrounded
on three sides by the sea. The city proper, or cita-
del, is of small extent, being surrounded by a wall
less than a mile in circuit, through which there are
four gates leading into the outer city. Very little
commerce is transacted within the city proper, the
te-tok's palace and gardens occupying a considerable
space, and abutting on the wall, so as to interrupt the
visitor in his walk around the citadel. The streets of
Amoy are very narrow and dirty, and the houses, with
few exceptions, are of the poorest description. A few
buildings with decent exterior occasionally relieve
the general appearance of poverty.
Among the temples there are some remarkable
buildings. The collection of temples situated on the
hill commonly called the " White Stag Hill" deserves
particular mention. They consist of a cluster of
i i 2
484 TEMPLES.
buildings perched on overhanging rocks, and present,
from the summit, a most romantic view of the city
and its busy population, at the distance of a mile.
Some of the inscriptions on the temple walls, in this
beautiful retreat, are of more than ordinary interest.
A tablet, inscribed with the sentence, " The practice
of virtue is the principal thing," is soon after suc-
ceeded by another, containing the announcement, " If
men will pray to heaven's supreme Ruler, there will
ensue peace, rest, and happiness."
Another interesting temple lies close to the foot of
the hills, in the higher part of the long plain on the
southern beach. Being situated only half a mile
above the long line of fortifications forming the sea-
battery, this temple was exposed to much danger
from the fire of the British vessels-of-war. One
large cannon-ball is in the possession of the priests,
being preserved and exhibited to the visitor as a
proof of the sanctity and power of the idol. The
walls of the building were perforated, and other
serious damage was inflicted by the ball, which,
however, they assert, was miraculously arrested in
its career of destruction, so as to stop at the foot
of the idol.
The city contains but few individuals of great
wealth, notwithstanding the commerce of the place.
This is accounted for by the fact, that Amoy is only of
small importance as a city, being included in the
boundaries of Tung-hwa heen, on the mainland, one
of the districts in the department of Ch wan-chew foo.
Amoy is a mere outport to the more important cities
of Chang-chew and Chwan-chew, in which the native
merchants, who have been enriched by successful
BOUNDARY REGULATIONS. 485
commerce/ live in the enjoyment of the refinements
and luxury of wealth. Amoy bears the same relation
to Chang-chew, which Shanghai bears to, Soo-chow ;
and the Chinese diplomatists would gladly have
limited the whole proceedings of foreign commerce
to cities of this order, so as to exclude Europeans
from the real abodes of wealth and manufacturing in-
dustry. This may account for the strong objections,
which are said to have been urged by the Chinese
plenipotentiaries, against the opening of Foo-chow,
the capital of the province, to the trade of the British.
The boundaries, beyond which foreigners are pre-
vented from extending their visits, have been fixed by
arrangements with the acting consuls, at the distance
of a "day's journey." On this term a very strict con-
struction has been placed, so as to prohibit any
foreigners from going more than half-a day's journey
from the city, and to compel their return to Amoy
before sunset. As the day is interpreted as com-
mencing with sunrise and ending at sunset, and as a
visit in a boat to the opposite mainland would ordi-
narily consume the greater part of a forenoon, it will
be seen that this regulation virtually limits foreigners
to the island of Amoy, even in the villages of which
they are not allowed to pass a night, but are under
the necessity of returning before sunset to the city.
The Roman Catholics are numerous in some dis-
tricts of the neighbouring mainland.
The French ambassador and suite, during their
recent visit to Amoy, visited a village about forty
miles distant, in which nearly the whole population
were Roman Catholics. His Excellency afterwards
spoke of his heart being kindled with the fire of
486 ROMAN-CATHOLIC VILLAGE.
religious enthusiasm, as he beheld the joyous spec-
tacle of the inhabitants coming forth with crosses and
medals hanging on their bosoms. About 500 persons
in this village, and the same number in some neigh-
bouring villages, professed Christianity. The priest,
a Spaniard, named Francisco Zea, openly performed
his ministrations among them, attired in Chinese
costume. At the period of the visit of the French, a
chapel, estimated to cost 1800 dollars, was advancing
towards a state of completion. It was built of brick,
partly in European and partly in Chinese style, and
was ninety feet in length by forty in breadth. The
interior was adorned by two rows of pillars, and the
arrangements of the altar were adapted to the strictest
models of Popish architecture. The French plenipo-
tentiary contributed a sum of money towards its erec-
tion. The perfect notoriety, among the Mandarins, of
the priest's residence and employments was esta-
blished beyond a doubt.
During the period of my residence at Amoy, the
intelligence arrived of another explanatory edict of
religious toleration having been issued by the Chinese
Government. In this document a full recognition
was contained of the equal privileges of foreigners of
all countries ; and free toleration was conferred on all
the religions of Western nations, without partiality or
distinction. The second edict, which apparently
limited the toleration of the " religion of the Lord of
Heaven" to the professors of the Roman-Catholic
religion, had a short time previously been made a
subject of diplomatic correspondence with Ke-Ying by
the British Governor of Hong Kong ; who, with com-
mendable decision, extorted from the former a recog-
LOCAL PRIZES FOR^NATIVE SCHOLARSHIP. 487
nition of the equal toleration of the Protestant and
Roman-Catholic religions. A promise was made that
this public document should be extensively circulated
by the Chinese authorities among the people at each
of the five consular ports. Although some weeks had
elapsed, for a time only one copy of the document
was discovered at Amoy. After a few days, how-
ever, a second copy was also observed on some remote
suburban wall ; while at the usual places for placard-
ing Government notifications, viz. at the gates of the
city, not a single copy was to be seen.
Although the population of Amoy are generally of
the poorest class, and fewer external signs of wealth
meet the eye than in any of the other newly-opened
cities of China, there are not wanting those literary
institutions which are designed to impart a stimulus
to native scholarship. As Amoy is not included in
either of the three regular classes of cities, no literary
degrees are conferred on the spot. There are, how-
ever, about 200 sew-tsai in the place, some of whom
have purchased their degree. The candidates for
literary distinction have to go for examination from
Amoy to the city of Chwan-chew, which is the head
of the department. As it has been already intimated,
the examinations for the higher degree of keu-jin
are only held at Foo-chow, the capital of the province.
Of the estimated number of seventy keu-jin in the
whole department of Chwan-chew, only three belong
to Amoy ; while of the higher degree of tsin-sze,
there is not one graduate among the natives of the
city. Several scholars are said to attend the exami-
nations at Chwan-chew, who have little prospect of
obtaining a degree, but who are encouraged by the
488 LOCAL DIALECT.
hope of gaining a pecuniary reward for their composi-
tion. In Amoy itself there are forty prizes, of about
four dollars each, annually distributed among the
resident scholars for the best literary disquisitions on
a given subject. Both the sew-tsai graduates and the
undergraduates are permitted to compete for these
rewards. The prizes, however, are divided into two
classes ; equal sums of money being given to the first
ten sew-tsai and to the first ten undergraduates in
the scale of merit under each respective division. A
prize of secondary value is reserved also for the ten
individuals, who respectively occupy the next place of
merit in each class of candidates. One thousand can-
didates are said generally to attend these annual
examinations. An impulse is thus given to the
industry of the lowest scholars, a large number of
whom can be easily obtained as teachers for little
more than half the monthly sum payable in the other
consular cities. But the Missionaries find that really
efficient teachers, deeply versed in the Chinese
classics, and willing to bestow diligent attention on
their foreign pupils, are not to be obtained without
much difficulty.
The local dialect of Amoy, or, more strictly
speaking, that of Chang-chew, is the dialect which was
principally studied, in former times, by the Missio-
naries among the Chinese emigrants in Singapore and
Batavia, and was commonly termed the Fokeen
dialect. This term has sometimes produced a mis-
apprehension as to its prevalence throughout the
whole province. The author has met natives of
Foo-chow, the capital of Fokeen, who were unable to
exchange a single sentence, in the Amoy dialect, with
MORAL DEGRADATION OF PEOPLE. 489
a Missionary who had a perfect knowledge of the
dialect of the latter place.
The preceding statements will have been sufficient
to convey to the reader a general impression of the
character of this Missionary field, of the results of
present operations, arid of the mingled difficulties
and encouragements in the path of labour. The
facts already recorded will suggest a tolerably correct
idea of the friendliness of disposition, the strict sub-
jection to recognised principles of national law, the
close bonds of family union, the thrifty industry, and
the enlightened common sense, which generally cha-
racterize this portion of a race of people, whom we
have been too willing, in former times, on the one
hand, to regard as semi-barbarous ; and whose civili-
zation and refinement we have been too much dis-
posed, on the other hand, to commend and exaggerate.
But if we were to stop at this point of the narrative,
and to content ourselves with this superficial view, we
should be induced to form too favourable a judgment
of their real social condition. Facts of daily occur-
rence, brought to the knowledge of the Missionaries,
and frequently gained through the medium of the
Missionary Hospital, revealed the prevalence of the
most fearful immoralities among the people, and
furnished a melancholy insight into the desolating
horrors of paganism. Female infanticide openly
confessed, legalized by custom, and divested of dis-
grace by its frequency ; the scarcity of females leading,
as a consequence, to a variety of crimes, habitually
staining the domestic hearth ; the dreadful prevalence
of all the vices charged by the Apostle Paul upon
the ancient heathen world ; the alarming extent of
490 MISSIONARY ASPECT.
opium-indulgence, destroying the productiveness and
natural resources of the people ; the universal practice
of lying and suspicion of dishonesty between man and
man ; the unblushing lewdness of old and young ; the
full unchecked torrent of human depravity, borne
along in its impetuous channel, and inundating the
social system with the overflowings of ungodliness ;
prove the existence of a kind and a degree of moral
degradation among the people, of which an excessive
statement can scarcely be made, and of which an
adequate conception can rarely be formed. Such is
the moral and social condition of a population, among
whom the banner of the Gospel has at length been
unfurled, and to whom its life-giving truths are now,
in humble faith, proclaimed.
There are only a few peculiar features in the cha-
racter of this Missionary Station, and of these a brief
recapitulatory sketch is here subjoined. Amoy is the
least important of all the ports of China open to
foreigners, in respect of size, population, and the class
of its inhabitants. It labours, also, under the disad-
vantage of having but a limited intercourse with other
provinces, and of being, therefore, unlikely hereafter
to exert any considerable influence on the inhabitants
of the interior in the diffusion of Christian truth.
The lamented diminution in the members of the Mis-
sionary families by death, or removal to a more genial
clime, suggests also the fear of its being less salu-
brious than the more northerly ports. On the other
hand, however, Amoy is in advance of every other
Missionary Station along the coast, in the extraordi-
nary friendliness of the people, the marked attentions
and favour of the authorities, and the popularity and
GENERAL MORAL EFFECTS. 491
moral influence acquired by the Missionaries. Much
of this is doubtless to be ascribed to the longer period
of time during which Missionaries have been resident
in Amoy, and to the daily intercourse held with all
classes of the people for the purpose of oral instruc-
tion, without the distracting care of educational insti-
tutions. Although matters are progressing towards
the same favourable result at the other Stations, yet,
at the present time, we look in vain elsewhere in
China for those decisive indications, which have been
enumerated, of a good impression already produced on
the native community.
May the fertilizing showers of the Divine blessing
descend on the seed thus sown in hope ; and may the
further and more satisfactory results of real conver-
sion of heart to the Gospel speedily follow in the
track of the general moral effects already produced !
CHAPTER XXXIV.
DEPARTURE FROM AMOY, AND THIRD VISIT TO CANTON.
INCIDENTS OF LAST SABBATH AT AMOY FAREWELL ATTEN-
TIONS OF CHINESE FRIENDS VOYAGE TO HONG KONG-
VISIT TO CANTON COMPARATIVE REVIEW OF MISSIONARY
OPENINGS AT CANTON AND IN THE NORTHERN PORTS OF
CHINA RECENT RIOTS AT CANTON DIFFICULTIES OF KE-
YING PRESENT DANGERS OF CHINA AN APOLOGY FOR
THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT IN THEIR EXCLUSION OF OPIUM
THE DUTY OF THE CHRISTIAN LEGISLATORS OF BRITAIN.
ON Feb. 22d, being the last Sabbath of my residence
at Amoy, I attended the various Missionary services ;
and was requested, at the close of the sermon at the
American Mission chapel, to address a few words to
the people in the Court dialect. I informed them of
the circumstances which caused me to return to my
native land, and of the probable arrival of other Mis-
sionaries in my place ; concluding with the inquiry,
whether the prospect of new labourers coming to re-
inforce the Missionary body afforded them pleasure.
One of the teachers interpreted my parting words,
with long comments, in the local dialect, to the people
standing around ; fifty of whom were soon collected
about the pulpit, where they remained for another half
hour, offering their farewell greetings, and shaking
hands. As they did not seem disposed to separate, the
Missionary who had been preaching proceeded to
FAREWELL ATTENTIONS OF CHINESE FRIENDS. 493
hold a dialogue with some of their number. Some of
them hazarded illustrations of their own on the sub-
jects which they had heard in the sermon. On being
asked whether they would welcome among them any
additional Missionaries, and would rejoice at their ar-
rival, they all replied, " Yes." On being again asked
why they wished Missionaries to come among them,
some said, " Because you love us ;" others said, " Be-
cause you talk so kindly with us." The Missionary
then reminded them of the consequences of slighting
the message of the Gospel, and of the possibility of all
the Missionaries being removed from among them, as
a punishment of their spiritual indifference. Another
shaking of hands took place as I left the building^
some of my more intimate acquaintances asking at
what hour on the next morning I expected to take my
departure, and expressing their wish to do me the ho-
nour of accompanying me a little distance on my way.
Accordingly, early the next morning six teachers
and neighbours came to the house, waiting for my
departure. They accompanied me to the landing-
place, where, on getting into my boat, I bade them
adieu. They would, however, insist on hiring a boat,
and rowing for two miles, a little astern of my boat, to
the outer harbour, till we arrived alongside the man-
of-war in which I was to embark. Here, as I ascended
the gangway, my Chinese friends exchanged with me
a last farewell by waving their hands, and were soon
on their way back through the harbour to Amoy.
Shortly after we were proceeding on the voyage to
Hong Kong ; and in a few hours were out of sight
of localities, the remembrance of which will ever
be endeared to my mind by the kind friendship
494 VOYAGE TO HONG KONG.
of all the Missionary brethren, and the incidents of
my stay of more than six weeks.
During the first two days of our voyage we expe-
rienced light head-winds; and on the third day we
had a strong contrary breeze from the south-east. On
the fourth day there sprung up a fresh breeze from
the north-east, before which we sailed at a rapid rate.
In the afternoon we were already off Pedra Branca,
and finding that we were unable to reach the entrance
among the islands before sunset, we were forced to
heave to for the night, as there was no moon, the
wind increasing to a gale. At day-break on Friday,
Feb. 27th, we found that we had drifted a few miles
to the leeward of the island of Hong Kong. After an
hour's beating to windward, we passed through the
Limoon passage on the east, and soon came to anchor
in Victoria harbour.
During the course of the following month of March
I paid a third visit to Canton, for the purpose of as-
certaining the state of popular feeling, and the pro-
gress of the Missionary work since my visit about
eleven months previously. In the intervening period
of time a few more Missionaries had removed from
Hong Kong to Canton. Among these was the Rev.
Dr. Bridgman, a Missionary of considerable experience,
who had formerly resided for ten years at Canton.
The Missionary Hospital had become more fully than
ever identified with the Missionary cause ; and a few
of the Missionaries were assisted by Leang Afa in re-
gularly holding a Sabbath service among the patients,
of whom generally one hundred assembled for the pur-
pose. All other public services, however, were now
at an end, except at the Missionaries' own residences.
VISIT TO CANTON. 405
The writer could have wished that, on his last visit
to this populous city, he had been permitted to che-
rish a more favourable opinion of the sjpirit of the
populace, and of the extent of Missionary openings at
Canton. Candour, however, compels him to express
how wide and marked is the difference between the
friendly and peaceable demeanour of the people in
the more northerly cities, and the arrogant turbu-
lence of spirit which still forms the distinguishing
characteristic of the Canton mob. He calls to mind
the happy period of free and unrestrained intercourse
which he held with all classes of native society in
other parts of China, and the fair measure of personal
respect which was there extended to Missionary la-
bourers, among rulers and people, among rich and
poor, in the heart of crowded cities and in the retire-
ment of distant villages. And he cannot avoid con-
trasting the enlarged measure of freedom possessed
by foreigners in those other ports, with the narrow
limits of a few streets in an inconsiderable suburb,
within which foreigners are virtually imprisoned as
a despised and insulted portion of the community at
Canton.
The time of my last visit was one of great popular
excitement. The mob had shown a strong disposition
to take the reins of authority into their own hands.
The local Government was in a state of paralysis.
Ke-Ying's proclamation, extending to foreigners the
right of entering the city, and admonishing the people
that " all that the earth contained and the heavens co-
vered should dwell together in friendship and amity,"
" without any line of demarkation," had thrown the
whole population into a ferment of discontent and
496 RECENT RIOTS.
rebellion. Contrary placards of defiance were issued
by the enraged people ; and the palace and offices of
the kwang-chow-foo, or " prefect," were burnt by a
mob, ostensibly for the maltreatment of some Chinese,
but really as an ebullition of popular indignation
against the framers of the recent edict. The Man-
darins were publicly insulted whenever they issued
from their dwellings ; and a general attack on the
foreign factories was meditated by the rabble. The
proclamations of the Chinese authorities were re-
voked ; and public intimation was given by them that
the will of the people should prevail, and the "Barba-
rians" (such is the precise term of the proclamation !)
should not be allowed to enter the city. A British
war-steamer arrived, and anchored off the foreign re-
~
sidences. The local military sympathized with the
populace in their antipathy to foreigners, and could
not be depended on for quelling the disturbances.
Ke-ying had sent elsewhere for military reinforce-
ments ; and, after a period of preparation, had at
length assumed a decided tone of authority, and ap-
prehended some of the ringleaders of the mob. Po-
pular violence had thus for a time been suppressed
and the authority of Chinese law again predominated ;
but no foreigner could extend his walks with safety
far from the foreign factories.
In the meantime the island of Chusan had been
retained by the British, on the plea of this non-fulfil-
ment of the conditions of peace at Canton, beyond the
stipulated time, when the last sum of indemnity was
paid in the month of February. Notwithstanding the
interviews between the Chinese and British plenipo-
tentiaries, the matter could not be adjusted amid the
DIFFICULTIES OF KE-YING. 497
conflicting difficulties produced by the lawless vio-
lence of the Canton mob. On the one hand was re-
presented the readiness of the British to cede Chusan,
when the spirit of the treaty of Nanking* should be
fulfilled by the admission of British subjects into the
city, ee without molestation or restriction." On the other
hand, Ke-Ying, who had rendered himself personally
responsible to the Emperor for the punctual restora-
tion of Chusan, strongly deprecated this retention of
the island. He represented that it was the sure pre-
cursor of unmerited ruin to himself; was calculated
to perpetuate, in the minds of the Chinese, a distrust
of British integrity ; and was, moreover, unnecessary
for the preservation of the commercial facilities and
privileges of foreigners.* The local gentry and scho-
lars ventured to suggest extreme measures against the
faithless Barbarians ; and the country-people, blindly
supposing that they were as superior in strength as in
numbers, endeavoured to bring matters to a crisis,
from the evil consequences of which they were able to
retire to their own villages beyond the reach of British
retaliation. The native merchants and shopkeepers,
who had capital and property to lose, seemed alone to
be devoid of sympathy with the belligerent populace,
and to tremble for the consequences of a collision.
In the midst of these turmoils and anxieties, the
bodily frame of Ke-Ying began rapidly to sink.
Haemoptysis followed; and he suffered also from a
cataract formed on one eye. As the Missionary phy-
sician applied the stethoscope to his breast, Ke-Ying
* Chusan was ceded to the Chinese Government by the British
Plenipotentiary in the following 1 month of July.
K K
498 POLITICAL DANGERS OF CHINA.
remarked, " I have a disease of my heart, which no
physician can cure." For a time he was incapacitated
from business, and appeared to labour under mental
aberration.
Such signs of the insurrectionary state of the
people will make it apparent to every mind that, in
the event of another collision with China, the danger
arises of a war, not, as in the last conflict, with her
rulers, but with her people; the important conse-
quences of which are removed beyond the limits of
human foresight. The peaceful character of the
people in other parts of China, and the generally per-
ceptible desire of the Chinese authorities to preserve
order and protect strangers, afford a guarantee for
the continuance of pacific relations. Peace, however,
may at any moment be disturbed by some local outrage
at Canton, followed, on the part of the British Govern-
ment, by demands of reparation and indemnity, to
which the Chinese Government may be unable or un-
willing, in the state of the popular mind, to concede.
Many are disposed to regard the anomalous state
of affairs, which has been described, as a mark of
decay, and the presage of ruin to the power of the
present dynasty, if not to the stability of the empire
itself. But it is important that such opinions should
be modified by the reflection, that insurrections and
turmoils have been frequent in every reign, and that
the populace at Canton have been for centuries in a
continual state of partial rebellion. Amid these dan-
gers from within, the safety of China depends on her
avoiding perils from without. Her principal danger
is that of another foreign collision, fomented alike by
the blind arrogance of the anti-European party at
MORAL DANGERS. 499
Peking, and the excited feelings of the mob at Canton.
Her real interests lie in the adoption of a liberal
policy toward " Outward nations," in the Accommoda-
tion of her Government to the new emergency which
has been created, and in the residence of foreign
ambassadors at Peking. Unless she thus remodel her
system of policy, and abandon her isolated position
among the kingdoms of the earth, she must remain
stationary in knowledge, in arts, in power, in wealth,
and in all the more substantial blessings of a pro-
gressive civilization. Among the more prominent
characters now moving in the grand drama of Chinese
politics, there is no one who appears better adapted
to arrest the progress of national decay than the
pacific and enlightened Ke-Ying himself; who, from
the secret perusal of the books of foreigners, has
imbibed no inconsiderable knowledge of the religion
of Christian lands.
There is another rock of danger which may, in a
no less degree, cause a wreck of the national re-
sources, and, if such an expression be strictly appli-
cable to a pagan people, of the national morals ; and
for the removal of this source of danger, Britain is in
a great measure responsible. The Chinese, as a
Government, have been, during the last half century,
opposed to the introduction of opium into the country.
Individual officers, for the sake of peace or bribes, have
doubtless connived at the evil ; but, as a Government,
they have prohibited, by distinct and explicit laws,
the introduction of opium into the country, by that
inalienable, inviolable right, by which every indepen-
dent Government can exclude articles of contraband
traffic. Consistently with the prohibited importation
K K2
500 EXCLUSION OF OPIUM BY IMPERIAL EDICTS.
of opium from foreign lands, its growth has been
interdicted in China itself, in six provinces of which
it has, at various times, been clandestinely raised.
The Chinese Government have always had it in their
power to exclude foreign opium, by the simple pro-
cess of encouraging the growth of the poppy on their
own soil. They have, however, pursued the opposite
course ; no slight evidence that, amid all the instances
of venal and corrupt connivance on the part of the
subordinate officials in the maritime provinces, the
moral evils greatly, if not principally, influenced the
prohibition of opium by the Imperial Government.
This opposition commenced in the reign of Kea-King,
at the close of the last century, whose proclamation
against opium, in 1796, preceded, by several years,
the date when the balance against China, between the
export and import of the precious metals, added
another item to the sum of apprehended evils, giving
birth to the suspicion, in the minds of foreigners, that
the fear of Sycee " oozing out of the country" out-
weighed or supplanted all moral considerations in
the exclusion of opium. But although it should be
granted that financial considerations of this kind may
have strengthened, or even originated, in many cases,
the opposition of the high Chinese authorities to the
importation of opium, it may fairly be asked, whether
the considerations of financial expediency and self-
interest may not properly be admitted to strengthen
and confirm a policy, which, for its primary force,
rests on the obligations of conscience and on the
eternal principles of moral truth.
Equally untenable is the position of those who
endeavour to palliate or defend the smuggling of
APOLOGY FOR CHINESE GOVERNMENT. 501
opium into China on the plea that, if the Govern-
ment of a country enact prohibitory laws against
any traffic, that Government is bound to take effec-
tive measures to carry into execution the prohibi-
tion. Let, however, the armed smuggling clippers,
which have spread themselves over the whole length
of the coast, proclaim the absurdity of such an argu-
ment, when addressed to a weak Government like
that of China, almost powerless in the arts of defence
and war.
The opium-drain is severely felt in China. The
more patriotic of the native scholars speak of the rapid
decay of their cities from their ancient wealth and
splendour as the consequence of the system. This
subject is the great difficulty which will, sooner or
later, embarrass the two Governments. Let, then, the
Christian legislators of Britain look to this evil, and
boldly confront the danger. Opium is doubtless a
profitable source of income to our Anglo-Indian
Government, which those who take a low view of the
question may be unwilling to abandon. But let
Indian revenues be collected ' from other sources
than from a nation whose Government we have
humbled to the dust, and incapacitated for the
rigorous enforcement of her tariff-laws. Britain has
incurred a heavy debt of responsibility in this matter;
and unless the Christian course, which generosity
and justice alike point out, be strictly followed, the
page of history, which proclaims to future generations
the twenty millions sterling consecrated on the altar
of humanity to the cause of slave-emancipation, will
lose all its splendour ; yea, will be positively odious
to the eye beside the counter-page which publishes
502 THE DUTY OF BRITAIN.
our national avarice in reaping an annual revenue of
two millions sterling from the proceeds of a contra-
band traffic on the shores of a weak and defenceless
heathen empire. Britain has displayed her power, the
giant's attribute. Let her also exhibit to the people and
rulers of this pagan country the noble spectacle of
a Christian Government, superior to the arts of op-
pression, and actuated by a philanthropic regard to
the best interests of mankind.
CHAPTER XXXV.
GENERAL VIEW OF HONG KONG.
FIRST OCCUPATION OF HONG KONG GRADUAL INFLUX OF
SETTLERS TOPOGRAPHY OF THE ISLAND GENERAL RE-
FLECTIONS ON THE INFLUENCE AND PROSPECTS OF BRITAIN
IN THE EAST INELIGIBILITY OF HONG KONG AS A CENTRE
OF MISSIONARY OPERATIONS CLIMATE MORAL AND SOCIAL
CHARACTER OF THE CHINESE POPULATION DIVERSITY OF
DIALECTS EUROPEAN INFLUENCES.
A BRIEF review of the state and prospects of Hong
Kong, as far as they are likely to affect the Missionary
work in China, will close the narrative contained in
this volume.
It was during the year 1839 that the violent pro-
ceedings of Commissioner Lin against British subjects,
and the insecure position of the latter at Macao under
the inefficient protection of the Portuguese, caused the
gradual removal of the British vessels to the harbour
of Hong Kong, where the greater part of the British
community continued to live on board. A few huts
and mat buildings were built on the island itself; but
no regular attempt was made to form a settlement till
after the treaty with Keshen, in the beginning of 1841,
when it was formally ceded in perpetuity to the
British. Liberal inducements were held out to en-
courage the influx of British capital and enterprise ;
and several merchants commenced building, on a large
504 FIRST OCCUPATION OF HONG KONG.
scale, on the site of the new town of Victoria. The
subsequent breach of the treaty by the Chinese, and
the general uncertainty produced by the resumption
of hostilities, delayed the general migration to Hong
Kong till after the treaty of Nanking, by which the
cession of the island to the British was finally con-
firmed. Subsequently to this date, the colony rapidly
increased, and at the present time (May 1846) the
rugged precipitous shore, which forms the southern
edge of the harbour, presents the imposing aspect of a
European town suddenly grown into existence, with
regular streets of substantial buildings, rising one
above another, and with a line of military forts, bar-
racks, hospitals, and stores, standing forth as a power-
ful monument of the energy and strength of western
civilization.
The island itself stretches, in an irregular direction,
from N. W. to S. E., being about ten miles in length
and about half that distance in breadth. Its northern
side, bending, at either extremity, towards the oppo-
site continent, forms a large and commodious shelter
for shipping off the town of Victoria; the harbour ex-
tending about five miles in length and nearly two
miles in width, at the point where the island ap-
proaches nearest to the mainland. There are a few
villages scattered over the island, the largest of which,
named Chek-choo, lies on the south, and contains a
population of about 2000. This, together with the
smaller village of Sai-wan on the east, has risen into
importance as barracks, and a sanatorium for the mili-
tary. The population consists of fishermen, petty
traders, and a few agricultural labourers. Only small
portions of the soil are under tillage, the island being
TOPOGRAPHY OF ISLAND. 505
formed of one huge cluster of towering cliffs, which
divide it in the centre, and rear their barren summits
to the clouds. A partial vegetation of green herbage,
after the rainy season, clothes the sides of the ravines,
where the glittering cascades pour along their rolling
torrents, and descend into the sea through the little
valleys below.
Many of the buildings in the new town are of mag-
nificent structure, raised, at an enormous expense, by
cutting away the sides of the projecting headlands,
and formed generally of granite, with which the
neighbourhood abounds. A fine road, lined on either
side with streets or houses through the greater part
of its extent, leads along the whole edge of the har-
bour, and has been continued, on a less scale, to some
of the neighbouring marine villages on each side of
the island. The more western parts of the town are
occupied by Chinese streets and bazaars, which have
been raised with wonderful rapidity, and contain a
busy and enterprising portion of the community.
The view from some of the lesser eminences is im-
posing and picturesque, especially from the site of
the Morrison Education Society's School, looking
down upon every form and variety of foreign and
native craft in the splendid harbour, and bounded
in the distance by the towering ridges of the op-
posite coast. The immigration of Chinese settlers
has proceeded with proportionable rapidity, the na-
tive population of the island having been already
nearly trebled.
While contemplating this rapidly-formed colony,
the circumstances under which it has been gained, and
its probable influence on the future destinies of a race
506 GENERAL REFLECTIONS.
amounting to one-third of the estimated population of
our planet, many novel considerations obtrude them-
selves on the mind of a British Christian. Believing
that his country has been honoured by God as the
chosen instrument for diffusing the pure light of Pro-
testant Christianity through the world, and that the
permanency of her laws, institutions, and empire, is
closely connected with the diffusion of evangelical
truth, a British Missionary feels jealous for the faith-
fulness of his country to her high vocation, and " re-
joices with trembling" at the extension of her colonial
empire. Kingdoms rise and fall, each fulfilling its
appointed measure of instrumentality in accomplish-
ing the divine purposes for the salvation of mankind.
These reflections are peculiarly appropriate to the
present condition of this new British settlement.
From its political and commercial bearings the writer
purposely abstains, except as they indirectly affect
the social state of the native population, now brought
under the direct influence of British law, and the
benevolent attempt to introduce among them the
blessings of Christianity. The permanency of occu-
pation of Hong Kong its adaptation to the important
ends which it was intended to promote the mea-
sure of its influence on the continuance of peace
and, above all, the real amount of advantage which it
secures to the Missionary of the Cross in his all-
important work are considerations full of intense and
affecting interest at this critical juncture. The de-
sires and the wishes of a Christian patriot naturally
incline to Chusan, as that spot which, above all
others, would have abundantly secured the advan-
tages of climate, of situation, of independence, and of
CLIMATE. 507
natural resources, of which Hong Kong is confessedly
destitute.
Although every friend of the Missionary cause will
be disposed fairly to appreciate the advantages of a
British settlement like Hong Kong, and the superior
prospects of permanency which it affords, yet it must
be confessed, that, were our hopes limited to this spot,
it would be a debateable question, whether China had
been in the least degree opened to the diffusion of
Christianity. While such an open entrance lies before
us, in the neighbourhood of the consular cities along
the coast of China, more than sufficient to employ the
energies of all the Missionaries which the churches of
Britain and America are likely to send, it would be
improper to assign to a contracted sphere of labour,
like Hong Kong, one iota more than its proportion of
Missionary labour. There are other considerations
which stamp Hong Kong with an unpromising and
uninviting Missionary character.
On the disadvantage of climate the author is indis-
posed to dwell, because the comparative salubrity of
the last summer (1845) has been a happy exception to
the generality of such seasons at Hong Kong ; and
because, also, the salubrity or insalubrity of a locality
is a matter of secondary consideration, in those cases
in which there is any prospect of a proportionate
amount of usefulness. Only a more lengthened expe-
rience of the climate can, however, fully divest the
mind of serious apprehensions on this point, which
the previous mortality on the island has not unreason-
ably excited. The geological character of the island
the obstacles to free ventilation caused by the sur-
rounding hills the unhealthy evaporations produced
508 CHINESE POPULATION.
by the powerful heat of the sun on the saturated soil
after the rains and the glaring heat reflected from
the burning mountain-sides in the hot season pre-
sent physical causes sufficient to account for the ex-
istence of a very insalubrious climate. Doubtless a
part of the previous mortality had been caused by
noxious exhalations from the large surface of new
soil dug up for building sites, by insufficient shelter
from the elements, and by excesses too powerful for
the European constitution to bear in an untried cli-
mate. Although the writer's own opinion has been
considerably modified as to the extent of the insalu-
brity of Hong Kong, he yet retains his fears that few-
European constitutions will be found able to bear for
many consecutive years, in its debilitating climate, the
rigorous study and physical exertion necessary for
Missionary usefulness in China.
The moral and social character of the Chinese popula-
tion at Hong Kong presents a disadvantage of a very
different kind. While in the northern cities on the
mainland of China daily intercourse may be held
without restraint with the more respectable classes of
native society, and a foreigner everywhere meets an
intelligent and friendly population ; at Hong Kong,
on the other hand, Missionaries may labour for years
without being brought into personal communication
with any Chinese, except such as are, generally speak-
ing, of the lowest character, and unlikely to exert a
moral influence on their fellow-countrymen. The
lowest dregs of native society flock to the British Set-
tlement, in the hope of gain or plunder. Although a
few of the better classes of shopkeepers are beginning
to settle in the colony, the great majority of the new
SOCIAL CHARACTER. 509
comers are of the lowest condition and character.
The principal part of the Chinese population in the
town consists of servants, coolies, stone-cutters, and
masons engaged in temporary works. About one-
third of the population live in boats on the water.
The colony has been for some time also the- resort of
pirates and thieves, so protected by secret compact as
to defy the ordinary regulations of police for detection
or prevention. In short, there are but faint prospects
at present of any other than either a migratory or a
predatory race being attracted to Hong Kong, who,
when their hopes of gain or pilfering vanish, without
hesitation or difficulty remove elsewhere. At Canton
the greatest unwillingness exists in the minds of re-
spectable natives to incur the odium which attaches
to any connexion with Hong Kong. It is not unna-
tural that such a prejudice should exist in the minds
of the patriotic Chinese against a settlement wrested
from them by the sword ; and that the Chinese rulers
should invest with the utmost degree of odium a
locality which must be a continual eye-sore to their
pride. In such a state of public feeling the terrors
and restraints of law become a powerful instrument of
restraining respectable natives from immigrating to
the foreign settlement. A wealthy Chinese coming to
Hong Kong necessarily leaves the bulk of his pro-
perty, and many members of his family, on the main-
land, as pledges and hostages within the reach of the
offended authorities ; so that, when residing in Hong
Kong, he is under the control of the Mandarins
almost as much as if he were on the soil of China
itself. It may be perceived how, under such a system
of virtual intimidation, we are excluded from all hope
510 SUPPLEMENTARY TREATY.
of gaining for Hong Kong any better class of inhabi-
tants than those with whose presence the Mandarins
find it convenient to dispense.
Even in the absence of other obstacles to the moral
and social improvement of the colony, Hong Kong is
excluded, by the terms of the treaty with the Chinese,
from the hope of any considerable amelioration in
the class of settlers. By the 13th, 14th, and 16th
Articles of the supplementary treaty, it is stipulated
that no Chinese trading-junks shall be allowed to visit
Hong Kong except from the five free ports ; and that
even these must be provided with a passport from the
Chinese authorities. It is also agreed that British
officers at Hong Kong shall examine every passport
so presented, and forward a monthly account or report
to the Chinese Superintendant of Customs at Canton,
of the native vessels arriving at Hong Kong, together
with the name of the proprietor or captain, the nature
of the cargo, &c. &c. In the case of any vessel enter-
ing the port of Hong Kong, not thus provided with a
pass, the British authorities have bound themselves to
arrest the crew, and send them for condign punish-
ment to the Chinese authorities on the mainland.
With such a stipulation as this, and the natural pre-
judices of the Chinese against Hong Kong, it will
easily be seen how little hope we are permitted to
entertain of the probable moral and social improve-
ment of the colony.
The Chinese who come to Hong Kong are generally
unmarried men, or leave their wives and families on
the mainland, returning with their savings to their
homes after a few months' labour. The original popu-
lation of the island, 7500, had been increased by an
DIVERSITY OF DIALECTS. 511
accession, which raised the entire number to 19,000
Chinese, according to a census taken in 1844, three
years after its formal cession to the British by treaty.
These are nearly all illiterate, unable to read, and
consequently shut out from an important channel of
religious instruction. They form a class, above
all others, needing the restraining, sanctifying power
of the Gospel ; but the most opposite to that quiet,
orderly, and settled class of people, who are to be met
with in the four northern ports, and whose character
affords the fairest prospects of Missionary success.
Another difficulty, which impresses on Hong Kong
a peculiar ineligibility as a Missionary Station, is the
great diversity of dialects which prevails among its
limited population of 19,000 Chinese, and which is
necessarily produced by the heterogeneous elements
of which it is composed. There are three principal
dialects in the island, the speaker of one of which
would be unintelligible to the speaker of another.
Under these there are other subdivisions of the local
dialect, more or less distinct, but presenting some
features of resemblance. There is the Hok-ha dia-
lect, spoken by 3500 settlers from the north-east of
the Canton province. The Pun-te, or dialect of the
place and neighbourhood, is also subdivided into the
Sin-On, spoken by the original inhabitants and the
settlers from Macao ; the Pwan-yu, spoken by the
settlers from Whampoa ; and the Nan-hoi. There
are also the Hak-lo dialect from Fokeen, and some
other varieties, each of them spoken by a few hun-
dreds or tens of persons. In such a place, a student
of the Chinese language would be placed under great
disadvantages. Not only would a Missionary be
512 EUROPEAN INFLUENCES.
hindered in his usefulness by the perplexing variety
of dialects, but it would be next to impossible for a
foreign student of ordinary talent, who had not pre-
viously studied the language in some other part, ever
to attain a fluent and correct pronunciation of any
dialect in Hong Kong.
Two other serious disadvantages to Hong Kong, how-
ever, are the frequent spectacle of European irreligion,
and the invidious regulations of police, both of which
are likely to exert an unfavourable influence on the
future evangelization of the Chinese. It is with un-
feigned regret and reluctance that the author states,
that scenes frequently occur in the public streets, and
in the interior of houses, which are calculated to place
the countrymen of Missionaries in an unfavourable
aspect before the native mind. The opinion is sincerely
held and deliberately expressed, that, unless present
tendencies are happily obviated, the settlement is
more likely to prove a detriment than a blessing. The
advantages, in point of permanency, which it holds out
above the consular cities on the mainland, are im-
measurably outweighed by the injurious point of view
in which a professedly Christian nation stands forth
to the view of the Chinese people. Sabbath desecra-
tion is very prevalent. The clinking of ham-
mers from the military buildings, and the noise of
masons and stone-cutters engaged in the public works,
are sounds with which the congregation, worshipping
in the temporary building used as the colonial church,
have long been familiarized.
The Chinese also are treated as a degraded race of
people. They are not permitted to go out into the
public streets after a certain hour in the evening, with-
OPIUM-FARM. 513
out a lantern and a written note from their European
employer, to secure them from the danger of apprehen-
sion and imprisonment till the morning. According to
a local gazette, the official organ of the Government,
the most abandoned classes of Chinese, who form a
subject of odious traffic to Chinese speculators, were, at
least for a time, under the regular superintendence of
local officers, and contributed each a monthly sum as
payment toward the expenses of this control. The
recollection of the reader is recalled also to the case
of A-quei, the only wealthy Chinese on the island,
who now, by the rights which he has acquired as the
purchaser of the opium-farm, wields an instrument of
oppressive exaction and extortion over the rest of the
Chinese settlers. At one period he was in the habit
of visiting the native boats and private houses, in
order to seize every ball of opium suspected of being
sold without his licence. Accompanied for that pur-
pose by native or by Indian police, he exercised an
inquisitorial power for enforcing his monopoly over
the timid Chinese, sufficient to check and discourage
respectable natives from settling at Hong Kong. Even
in a commercial point of view, it is the opinion of the
best judges in such a matter that Hong Kong is never
likely to realize a small part of the expectations
cherished on its first acquisition.
Even the few Chinese who profess Christianity,
or are well affected to the Missionaries, are not
exempted from the evil influences which have been
described. Some of these have frequently given
utterance to the most impassioned indignation, when
speaking of the cases of harsh treatment to which
they are exposed. By these means, a race of people,
L L
514 DISAFFECTION TO HONG KONG.
the most alive to the influences of kind treatment,
instead of being converted into friends of British con-
nexion, become alienated, and return to their native
soil with prejudices and heart-burnings increased to a
ten-fold degree, to spread abroad disaffection to Hong
Kong, and hatred of the Western Barbarians. The
invidious regulations now in force may perhaps be
necessary in the present social condition of the native
community. But the writer cannot refrain from
stating his opinion, that, till a more liberal policy can
be adopted towards our Chinese fellow-subjects in
Hong Kong, we shall look in vain for the immi-
gration of a more respectable class of native traders,
or, what in his judgment is of still greater importance,
of more hopeful subjects for Christian instruction.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
GENERAL VIEW OF HONG KONG CONTINUED.
ACTUAL MISSIONARY LABOURS MORRISON EDUCATION SOCIETY
MEDICAL MISSIONARY HOSPITAL ROMAN-CATHOLIC MIS-
SION AT HONG KONG STATEMENT OF VIEWS RESPECTING
THE EDUCATION OF A NATIVE CHRISTIAN AGENCY PRINT-
ING ESTABLISHMENTS SUPERIOR MISSIONARY FACILITIES
IN THE FOUR NORTHERN PORTS GENERAL VIEWS OF THE
MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA QUALIFICATIONS NEEDED IN
MISSIONARY LABOURERS APPEAL TO THE CHRISTIAN PA-
RENTS AND YOUTH OF BRITAIN CONCLUDING OBSERVA-
TIONS LIST OF PROTESTANT MISSIONARIES IN CHINA.
THE comparative ineligibility of Hong Kong as a
Missionary Station is to be inferred from the fact, that
out of the whole number of Protestant Missionaries,
who were located in the colony in the beginning of
1845, only two or three now remain permanently at-
tached to the Station. The rest have gradually come
to the decision that Canton, with all the local disad-
vantages arising from restricted limits and popular
turbulence, affords a wider and more hopeful field
of labour.
The most useful Missionary Institution at Hong
Kong is the Morrison Education Society's School, which
was originated a few years ago by a few benevolent
individuals, who wished to commemorate, by some
scholastic institution for the benefit of the Chinese, the
L L 2
516 MORRISON EDUCATION SOCIETY.
name of the first Protestant Missionary to China.
The school contains about thirty pupils, of ages vary-
ing from eight to nineteen years ; and has been from
the commencement under the able superintendence of
an American Missionary, the Rev. S. R. Brown, who,
with his excellent wife, has raised the institution to a
state of efficiency unequalled by any other similar in-
stitution in China. The pupils are divided into four
classes, two of which are instructed by an assistant
master. The mornings are devoted to English stu-
dies ; and the afternoons are spent in Chinese studies
with a native teacher. The course of study embraces
the usual branches of a thorough English education ;
viz. reading, spelling, writing, composition, arithme-
tic, geography, history, algebra, and geometry. The
author has, on different occasions, heard the senior
pupils demonstrate some of the most difficult propo-
sitions in Euclid with the utmost precision, amid fre-
quent cross-questioning. It was a pleasing sight to
mingle in the evening devotions of the Missionary
family, and to behold the deep and affectionate atten-
tion with which this interesting body of youths listened
to the Scripture expositions of their preceptor, so well
seconded by the tender kindness and moral influence
of his wife. It was no less pleasant than affecting to
listen to the hymns, in which they were taught to sing
the praises of the Redeemer of mankind. Some of
the elder boys have for some time evinced a consistent
Christian deportment ; and one of them, A-shing, a
very sensible lad, has professed his desire to devote
himself to the service of God among his countrymen.
Being still under the power of their heathen parents
on the mainland, none of them have been yet baptized.
MISSIONARY HOSPITAL. 517
Some of their English compositions indicate great
talent, and good common sense, and prove the capa-
city of the Chinese mind for gaining knowledge.
Within a hundred yards of the Morrison Education
Society's School, and on the same conspicuous eleva-
tion of site, is the Medical Missionary Hospital, pre-
sided over by Dr. Hobson, a zealous medical Missio-
nary of the London Missionary Society, who was
obliged to return to England on the occasion of the
illness of his wife, who died as they arrived in sight
of the British shore. Dr. Hobson is about to return
to Hong Kong in the course of a few months.
The only remaining Missionary institution is a Chi-
nese school belonging to the London Missionary So-
ciety, and formerly conducted at Malacca under the
title of the "Anglo-Chinese College." Here a few
boys are educated by the Rev. Dr. Legge, an able
Missionary of the same Society ; his wife also con-
ducting a school for Chinese girls. Dr. Legge is now
temporarily absent in England on account of illness,
but is expected to return, at no distant period, to the
scene of his Missionary operations ; his place being
occupied, in the interval, by Mr. Gillespie, who arrived
in China in 1844. The two Missionary Chapels, built
by the American Baptist Missionaries, have been left
for a time entirely under the control of native
preachers.
The Roman-Catholic Missionaries in Hong Kong
continually vary in number. They hold services in
their public chapel for the Roman-Catholic members
of the community, and regularly visit the patients in
the military hospitals. A gentleman, with whom the
author is acquainted, lately attended a service in their
518 ROMAN-CATHOLIC MISSION.
chapel, on which occasion the congregation amounted
to 800 persons, including nearly all the Portuguese
residents in Hong Kong, with several Chinese ammahs
or nurses, and a large portion of a Roman-Catholic
regiment (the 18th Royal Irish), now stationed in
Hong Kong. A bishop from Shanghai was assisted
by fifteen European and four Chinese priests, all
richly clad in their vestments, the whole service
being of the most gorgeous and theatrical character.
The priests, with the exception of one or two, are
only temporary residents at Hong Kong, where
they await the arrival of couriers from the different
provinces, and soon take their departure for the in-
terior of China with the native conductors, leaving
their places to be rapidly supplied by new arrivals
from Europe. About this time application was made
by one of the priests to the agent of the Peninsular
and Oriental Steam-Navigation Company, to contract
for the passage to China, via Egypt and Ceylon, of
thirty Popish Missionaries during the present year.
There were at the same time twenty priests in the
Italian Mission House.
And with these local signs of activity among the
professors of a corrupted form of Christianity, vigo-
rously pouring their emissaries into the breach opened
into the heart of this heathen continent, what have
we to contrast in the present operations of Protestant
Churches, and especially of our own Church ? While
public buildings, of almost palace-like structure, have
been raised at a munificent outlay of expenditure, no
signs of the building of a suitable edifice for the public
worship of God, according to the forms and ritual of
the Church of England, meet the eye in any direction.
EDUCATIONAL PLANS. 519
Hospitals, forts, batteries, barracks, a jail, and even a
Mahomedan mosque, already stand as speaking monu-
ments of the priority in the scale of importance of
secular undertakings over religious duties. One
solitary Missionary at Shanghai is the only representa-
tive of the Missionary zeal of the Church of England.
The writer leaves China with the melancholy reflec-
tion, that this is all that can be truly deemed Missio-
nary work among the Chinese, either in present ope-
ration or in immediate prospect, in which we can
claim any part.
The Rev. Vincent Stan ton, the colonial chaplain,
has commenced the building of a school for Chinese
boys ; but as the necessary engagements of his
charge in visiting the sick in the hospitals, and
fulfilling the more public duties of his situation, re-
quire more than all the energy and strength possessed
both by himself and his coadjutor, the military chaplain,
the active personal duties of tuition must devolve on
some labourer unconnected with any other employ-
ment than that of an exclusively Missionary character.
For ordinary Chinese schools, the consular cities on
the coast of China afford as many facilities as Hong
Kong itself. For Missionary seminaries of a higher
order, in a future and more advanced stage of our
Missions, a British colony may possibly present supe-
rior advantages. Such seminaries or colleges, how-
ever, do not belong to the first stages of Missionary
work ; but are the fruits of a more matured state,
when a country has advanced beyond the mere infancy
of Christian Missions. Educational plans for the
benefit of the Chinese ought to have a primary, if not
exclusive reference to the object of raising a native
520 A NATIVE CHRISTIAN AGENCY.
Christian ministry. Instruction of Chinese youths
must necessarily be conveyed either in Chinese or in
English. Education in their own language they can
receive at little expense, and with greater advantage,
in their own native schools. Indiscriminate instruc-
tion in the English language will only place native
youths in circumstances of increased temptation, quali-
fying them for situations as interpreters of the lowest
class, and leading them, by the hope of high wages, to
abandon the less alluring prospects of quiet connexion
with the Missionaries. To devote the time and labour
of Missionaries, at least on their first arrival, to the
object of imparting an indiscriminate English education
to Chinese youths, who neither are the sons of Chris-
tian converts, nor evince any signs of a belief in Chris-
tianity, is to incapacitate the individual Missionaries
from acquiring the language, and to fritter away the
energies of the Mission generally on a work of doubt-
ful expediency, which has no necessary connexion
with the Missionary enterprise. Such secular educa-
tion does not properly fall within the province of a
Missionary Society. During the author's journeyings
and residence in the northern ports, the following facts
were impressed constantly on his mind. 1. The very
partial prevalence of education among the bulk of the
lower classes of people in the villages, though in
the towns the ability to read was much more general ;
2. The consequent importance of direct preaching to
the people ; and, 3. The expediency of providing
means for the systematic preparation of native evan-
gelists, to accompany and assist European Missiona-
ries in the work of oral instruction. These considera-
tions point out the importance, at some future period,
AN " ANGLO-CHINESE MISSIONARY INSTITUTION." 521
of a good " Anglo-Chinese Missionary Institution," in
which an able Missionary should devote his principal
endeavours to the work of imparting the benefits of a
first-rate education to a limited number of youths of
promising talent and disposition. At present there is
a want of materials for such an institution, a"s the first .
elements of education have to be previously imparted in
common schools, before any seminary or college can be
raised. To reverse the order of these two distinct kinds
of educational agency, is to confound the natural course
of things. Such materials, though not existing at the
commencement, may ere long be raised up about the
families of Missionaries, and among the children of
converts. A proficiency in the more elementary
branches of education, conveyed to them through the
medium of books composed by Missionaries in the
Chinese language, and a lengthened test, under the
eye of Missionaries, of the mental powers and moral
disposition of individual pupils, will in due time point
out proper subjects for receiving the more solid ad-
vantages which a thorough education in the science
and theology of the West, through the medium of the
English language, will confer on native youths, in
their endeavours to diffuse the Gospel among their
fellow-countrymen. For this higher course of edu-
cation it may be expedient to form a Missionary
seminary at a distance from the place of their nativity,
where a few pupils of promising piety and ability
may be collected together, in one place, from the
several stations on the coast of China, and at the same
time be detached from the unfavourable influences of
kindred and home. Hong Kong, though replete with
dangers from European intercourse, and the inconve-
522 CENTRAL EDUCATION.
niences of distance, yet may possibly hereafter afford
the greatest facilities for carrying out such a plan.
The system of central education is generally open
to objections ; but the circumstances of the China
Mission are regarded as being peculiar and dissimilar
from other Missions. A Missionary occupying the
post of Principal of such an institution might hold
daily family services, and occasional public services,
at his own house, for the benefit of such Chinese as
might be induced to attend. The youths, thus care-
fully educated and trained, with a view to personal
dedication to the work of evangelizing their country-
men, might, on the completion of the necessary course
of instruction, return to the Missionaries on the conti-
nent of China ; where, by the Divine blessing on the
means employed in their preparation, they might
become valuable and efficient aids to the European
Missionaries.
Printing establishments are an unnecessary expense
to any Missionary Society just entering on a Mission
in China. Except for the purposes of ephemeral
publication, and the intermixture of English type
with Chinese, no advantage is gained by a European
printing press. When a Missionary, at any of the
consular cities, has composed a tract, he has merely
to go into a neighbouring street, and call to his aid
the services of a block-cutter ; who, unless the tract
is of very bulky dimensions, can in a few days produce
a wooden block, from which an edition of several
thousand copies can be expeditiously produced. A
Chinese tract is now before me, composed by the Rev.
J. Stronach, of Amoy, which contains about 2000 cha-
racters, and occupies the ordinary length of an eight-
PRINTING ESTABLISHMENTS. 523
page English tract. The style of the characters, and
the general appearance of the tract, are beautifully
adapted to the Chinese eye and taste. The block-
cutter was paid at the rate of three copper cash for
each character. The expense of printing each copy,
including paper, ink, and stitching, amounted to four
cash. Thus, the cost of printing, paper, and ink, for
an edition of 6000 copies, amounted to 24,000 cash ;
and the addition of the original price of the wooden
block, 6000 cash, raised the entire cost of the edition
to 30,000 cash ; i.e. 5 cash each copy. About 25 cash
are equal to one penny ; so that the whole edition of
6000 copies cost about five guineas, and each copy less
than a farthing. The disadvantage of a European
printing press is, that the salary of printer and assis-
tants, and the rent of premises, demand continual
payment, even although there may be no continued
demand for their services. At the same time, no
corresponding advantage is gained in point of execu-
tion, as the native block-printers perform their work
with wonderful neatness and accuracy.
The considerations which have been adduced lead
to the conclusion, that whatever may be the oppor-
tunities of Missionary intercourse with the Chinese
at Hong Kong, the eye of the Christian philanthropist
may be directed to far more promising fields of Mis-
sionary labour. To concentrate our energies on a
mere outpost on the enemy's frontiers is a course of
manifest impolicy. The warfare must be carried into
the enemy's country. The battle of Christianity must
be fought on the soil of China herself.
In the four northern ports the climate is generally
superior, the people are friendly, and foreigners are
524 SUPERIOR FACILITIES IN NORTHERN PORTS.
treated with respect. In short, we have there all
the essential facilities for Missionary labour that we
possess in India. In the security of residence for Mis-
sionaries, in the friendly disposition of the people, in
the liberal form of their social institutions, in the ab-
sence of any general form* of superstition strongly en-
throned in the national mind, in the general diffusion
of education, and in the growing liberality of the
Chinese rulers, we have a loud and powerful call to
vigorous exertion. China has already abandoned
a portion of her isolated position. She has been
shorn of the talismanic lock of her fancied supe-
riority. The wedge of foreign intercourse has been
inserted, and the breach will be widened. The
crisis has arrived when the natural rights of civiliza-
tion can no longer be outraged with safety or impu-
nity. A few decades of years may intervene of partial
resistance to the progressive movement. The social
machine cannot, however, remain in its present state
of oscillation ; but, propelled by the moral weight of
both hemispheres, must advance, till an unrestrained
intercourse be opened between the several tribes of
the human race. God's providential plans for the
welfare of mankind will be gradually unfolded with
increasing clearness ; and the messenger of Christ, no
longer approaching with timid steps to the confines
of this heathen empire, may then boldly advance to
its central regions ; and there, mingling the accents
of prayer with the notes of thanksgiving, proclaim
God's message of redeeming mercy to a fallen world.
Sufficient will have been gathered to lead the reader
to form an estimate of the peculiar qualifications
needful in the Missionary labourers who are to enter
QUALIFICATIONS OF MISSIONARY LABOURERS. 525
on this field. Without presuming to limit the Divine
blessing to any class of labourers, it must nevertheless
be borne in mind, that the obvious qualifications to
constitute a really efficient Missionary among the
Chinese are of no common or secondary order.
Activity of body, energy of mind, ano\ practical
judgment are required for the study of a difficult
language, and for keeping up a constant intercourse
with the people, for the purpose of acquiring the
spoken dialect, of disarming their prejudices, of win-
ning their respect, and of exciting their attention to
the all-important message of the Gospel. An ability
to grapple with the subtleties of an atheistic philo-
sophy ; a willingness to mingle with the lowest classes
of the population ; frequent visits to their houses,
their temples, and in the surrounding country ; a ready
accessibility to natives willing to visit the Missionary
at his own house ; require a more than ordinary
combination of physical and mental powers, under the
debilitating influence of a new and untried climate.
To these natural qualifications must be added a large
and powerful measure of the spirit of Christ, such as is
necessary for a Missionary labourer, not only in China,
but in every heathen land. To behold the empire of
sin holding universal dominion around him, and
yet not to be contaminated by the contagion ; to
be familiarized with the spectacle of idolatry, and
yet not to lose the tender sensibilities of compassion
for the poor idolater, and a holy jealousy for the
honour of God; to feel himself alone, bearing, in some
cases, a solitary testimony against error, and yet not
to be downcast or disheartened by his isolated position ;
to witness frequent acts of lewdness, to experience
526 SUBSIDIARY HELPS.
repeated acts of dishonesty, and yet to retain the
meekness of the Christian character, unruffled and un-
disturbed ; nay, more than this, to move in the tainted
atmosphere of spiritual death, and yet to breathe the
heavenly spirit of devotion, of humility, of penitence,
of faith, of prayer, of holy trust in an ever-present
God; all this requires an accession of spiritual graces,
for the absence of which no qualifications physical,
mental, or moral of the mere natural man can com-
pensate. It is a simple, clear, and uncompromising tes-
timony to the glorious grace of the Gospel, which can
alone supply a remedy to the moral and spiritual ma-
lady of the pagan world, and infuse comfort, peace, and
energy into the soul of the Missionary. The medical
skill and the healing arts of Christendom may help to
diffuse a sense of the benevolence of foreigners, and
conciliate goodwill to the ambassadors of Christ.
Medicine, as the handmaid of Christianity, may bring
together the deaf and the blind, the halt and the
maimed, within the sound of the Gospel. But let it
ever be borne in mind, that, amid the subsidiary aids
of medical institutions and scholastic establishments,
it is primarily and essentially by the message of
reconciliation, proclaimed by messengers who desire
to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified, that
we can hope to overcome the difficulties of the Mis-
sionary work, to effect the real conversion of sinners
to Christ, and to prepare the way of the Lord in
China.
For the supply of these materials of Missionary
strength we look to the pious members of our Church,
and the rising generation of Christian youth in our
native land. We turn with imploring eye, with
APPEAL TO CHRISTIAN PARENTS AND YOUTH. 527
anxious heart, and with impassioned tongue, to the
educated piety and consecrated talent in our univer-
sities and collegiate schools. We invite the co-opera-
tion of those Christian parents, who willingly dismiss
from their embrace their beloved offspring, to the
most distant regions of Britain's empire, in the path
of secular distinction. We ask, Where can talents the
most brilliant, and piety the most fervent, find a
nobler field for their exercise than on these " fields
white unto the harvest ? " If the vastness of the work,
the amount of difficulty, the mighty results to be ex-
pected, and the encouragements which mingle in the
prospect, can stamp on any work the impress of true
glory, then that undertaking is the attempt to diffuse
the Gospel among the three hundred and sixty mil-
lions of China. The attempt itself knows nothing to
equal it in past undertakings. The great wall of
China the pyramids of Egypt the discovery of a
new hemisphere sink into insignificance in the com-
parison with the attempt to demolish the speculative
atheism and debasing idolatry of China, and to build
up, in their stead, lively and spiritual stones into the
temple of the true God. Such an object, so vast in
conception and so stupendous in results, must not be
taken in hand sparingly or hesitatingly. Numerous
labourers must enter on this work. Far better that
China had never been opened to Christianity, than
that, with an imperial edict of universal toleration
beckoning us forward, Protestants should decline en-
tering the breach with an adequate force. Popery
is already sending its agents with redoubled acti-
vity. The impostor of Mecca also, for 600 years, has
had his numerous followers scattered over the neigh-
528 CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS.
bouring islands, and on the forbidden soil of China
itself; where Islam, triumphing, not by the usual
methods of fire and sword, but by the milder arts of
proselytism, has shamed the puny efforts of Christians
in a holier cause. The moral evils of our past inter-
course lend an additional power to the voice of China,
crying to British Christians, by the depth of her moral
degradation, though not by her consciousness of it,
" Come over and help us."
The Missionary work in China is not devoid of en-
couragements. Let the Missionaries of the Cross de-
monstrate, by the holiness of their lives, by the circum-
spectness of their walk, and by their abstinence from
secular things, the universal benevolence of Chris-
tianity, and the love which they bear to the souls of
men ; and, above all, let the unceasing prayer for the
blessing of the Holy Spirit rise continually before
God ; and we doubt not that the seed-corn of truth,
" cast upon the waters," will be seen, though " after
many days." May the great Lord of the harvest, in
answer to the prayer of His Church, send forth a nu-
merous band of labourers, men of earnest prayer, of
strong faith, and of self-denying zeal. In this glorious
enterprise we are responsible for the character of our
motives, and not for the measure of results. Duty is
ours ; events are God's. The issue it is our happy
privilege to leave in the hands of Infinite benevolence,
looking forward to that day of universal recognition
of the meanest labourer in this service, when, in the
kingdom of their common Father, both " he that sow-
eth and he that reapeth shall rejoice together." In
the prospect of possible discouragement and difficulty,
we may adopt, for our encouragement, the sentiments
THE FINAL ISSUE OF MISSIONS. 529
uttered sixty years ago by Swartz, that devoted
apostle of Southern India, whose memory has been
embalmed in the grateful recollections of numerous
native converts ; and who now, in the Christian vil-
lages of Tinnevelly, has found a monument nobler far
than all the munificent wealth of native princes could
rear to his name :
" I cheerfully believe that God will build the waste
places of this country. But should it be done after
we are laid in the grave, what harm ? This country
is covered with thorns : let us plough and sow good
seed, and entreat the Lord to make it spring up.
Our labour in the Lord, in His cause, and for His
glory, will not be in vain."
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University of California
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Return this material to the library
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709 Smith -
364n A narrative of
1847 an exploratory
visit to each of
the consular
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cities of ^hina...
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S64n
1847
